


Shortcut

by CloudNineKitty



Category: Naruto
Genre: Alternate Universe - Time Travel, Cryogenics, Future Fic, M/M, Premature Ejaculation, Smut, car obsession, demolition derby
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2014-06-27
Updated: 2014-06-27
Packaged: 2018-02-06 10:29:53
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 43,684
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1854763
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/CloudNineKitty/pseuds/CloudNineKitty
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>In the year 2064, investing in cryogenically frozen people with special skill sets is common for the wealthy. For one particular benefactor, this investment proved to be far more erratic than he bargained for.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Repost (again, 'cause I suck)

“I don’t understand…”

“You’re a great guy, Naruto, and you’re really cute, but…you work at Wal-Mart.”

“Wha…so do you!”

“Yeah, but I’m only working here over the summer. You’ll be working at Wal-Mart for the rest of your life.”

“No, I-”

“Goodbye, Naruto.”

Left dumbfounded and alone in the sporting goods aisle of Wal-Mart, Naruto Uzumaki couldn’t help but drive his foot into the box of shin guards on the lowest shelf. He groaned when the toe of his custom print Vans pierced the cardboard box and got stuck there.

“That’s coming out of your paycheck,” a young man around Naruto’s age teased as he rounded the corner of the aisle. He kept his hands in the pockets of his black corduroy pants, an obnoxious sense of ease hovering about him as though nothing bad could happen to him. The shelves could be falling like dominos on top of him and he’d still walk away unscratched. “Aren’t you supposed to be rounding up baskets in the parking lot instead standing around getting dumped by another girlfriend?”

“Hardy har-har, Sai,” Naruto spat the name in distaste. He never did like the guy, ever since he first started working at Wal-Mart fresh out of high school. 

He couldn’t afford to go to the auto mechanics school in the next town, and the old bastards running all the auto shops in the city wouldn’t hire him without a formal education. At least here in Wal-Mart he could run by the tiny repair shop and watch the guys at work during breaks and lunch, though they didn’t get much action – only the truly desperate brought their cars to Wal-Mart to be repaired, otherwise they’d head over to a name brand shop or Sears.

That’s right, Naruto’s childhood dream was to become a mechanic. Laughing matter? Depends on how you looked upon it. While most kids wanted to be policemen or actors or writers (heck, one girl in his eighth grade graduating class had said she wanted to open her own weave shop), Naruto wanted to get his hands dirty inside the motor of a car.

It had started off as an infatuation to look cool and get girls to like him. It worked for the guys in all the 80s movies, so why wouldn’t it work for him? All he had to do was wear a white wife beater – or no shirt at all – and old blue jeans with an oily rag sticking out the back pocket. 

When he was twelve, he went into the garage of his foster home in the middle of the night and forced open the hood of the 1988 Dodge Caravan. What was laid out before him, Naruto could honestly compare to the first time he saw a woman naked. 

He had been nine years old, hiding in the neighbor’s tree from one of the other foster kids when the teenage daughter of their neighbor came home from school and decided not to close her blinds before stripping down completely and touching herself. He hadn’t been sure what his body was doing in reaction, but it was exciting; heart pounding, palms sweating, heat prickling him from the soles of his feet to his scalp.

All of that happened to him, but ten times stronger, as he stared under the hood of the car.

He remembered blatantly crying out, “what the hell?” How could something so jumbled and confusing move an entire vehicle, not to mention the occupants inside of it? It looked like someone placed giant, misshapen Legos inside the compartment, and then tried to connect them with several wires and tubes. He couldn’t even tell what the motor was in this mess. He had to know how it all worked. He had to!

That was how he spent many days for the next eight years of his life. His foster parents had been very supportive, especially the husband who would allow Naruto to help him when it came time to change the air filter or oil. It was a thrilling experience every time, and he looked forward to the old vehicle breaking down just so he could go with his foster father to the repair shop and shadow the mechanics there.

They answered all his questions, some more eager than others that seemed they’d rather have a truck roll over their heads. One bearded man asked Naruto if he was actually considering auto mechanics as a career or if this was just some hobby that would eventually fade. Of course Naruto had excitedly told him it was his dream job. He was fourteen by then, but he didn’t understand why the men in the shop had laughed. However, that didn’t matter because that was the first time Naruto saw it.

One of the younger mechanics drove it in, and someone helped him chain the wheels to the lift. It was a routine thing, so why should they be stricken with awe like young Naruto was?

Damn, did Freddie Mercury have it right. It sounded foolish to fall in love at first sight, but Naruto would come to find that no other car caught his attention like this one did. He wished he could say that it was some sleek, red sports car with a small body and flames for decals, but that just wasn’t the case. Like some pale, cracked shell on a beach, the vehicle could easily be overlooked without a second glance.

Long body, the most rectangular-shaped car Naruto had ever seen. The paint job was a sloppy baby blue, not even waxed, and cracked and chipping in places to reveal a rusty patch of the body. It was a convertible; the top was down to reveal the torn, white leather seats (it looked like someone had angrily slashed it with a blade from the way the stuffing was peeking out). It had an unusually big steering wheel, something only found in vintage cars; not that the size of the wheel was necessary to indicate just how old this car was. Scratched wood paneling on the dashboard and inside the doors was about the only thing intact.

“Naruto, ready to go?” his father had placed a hand on his shoulder to usher him out of the enormous garage.

But Naruto wouldn’t budge. Not until he found out. “What kind of car is that?” Despite being taught that pointing was impolite, he stilled raised his index finger at the shabby car.

The bearded man that had asked him about his career got up to see what he was talking about. “Let’s see…that’s a Mustang, manufactured by Ford. Judgin’ by the body, I’d say it was made in 1965, but its model is called the 1964 1/2. A real vintage car, they don’t make those anymore. Whoever owns that baby has had her for a while.”

That was that. Naruto didn’t care if he had to sell his soul to Satan himself, he would own a ‘64 Mustang convertible! A silly dream, but one he’s spent the last six years of his life saving up to achieve it. Sure, he wasn’t able to splurge money on girlfriends because of his goal, but if they could just understand and be patient with him…

None of them ever did, though. They saw him as a cheap idiot who couldn’t get cars off the brain. Why couldn’t they see what he saw when he looked at an engine? Always changing, ever evolving, something new coming out every year; something he could always learn from and better himself at. The idea of ethanol fuel made the wheels in his head turn with even greater possibilities of what cars could run on! Not that anyone would listen to him anyway.

Didn’t matter. Once he saved up enough money to get his dream car, Naruto was going to be long gone from this place. The girl who just broke up with him had to be his sixth girlfriend this year alone, and she was also the most wrong. Because Naruto wasn’t going to work at Wal-Mart for the rest of his life. He refused to. But for now…

He sighed in annoyance as he reached down and pulled the box of shin guards off of his shoe, hopping on one foot in attempt to stay balanced. “Stupid…” he grumbled to himself before kneeling on the linoleum floor and pulling out the rest of the duplicate boxes so he could hide the damaged one in the back. “Do not tell anyone about this.”

Sai gave one of his innocent smiles that didn’t reach his eyes. “I didn’t see a thing.” He watched Naruto stand up before approaching him casually. “You seem to have a lot of bad luck with the ladies.”

Naruto did not need this pale bastard’s sarcastic observations of the obvious. “Yeah, well…who cares about them anyway?”

“That’s the spirit.” Sai’s voice was flat even with the encouraging words. “Don’t let them get to you. That’s what a friend would say in this situation, right?”

Naruto eyed the other man warily, his shoulders stiffening under the blank gaze. “I guess…”

Sai seemed pleased with himself, but he didn’t budge. “Just out of curiosity, have you tried – oh, what’s it called – batting for the other team?”

Somehow Naruto knew that he wasn’t going to be getting an ordinary pep talk for when a girl dumps you from the weirdest guy to ever walk the planet. In a way he knew Sai was only trying to help, but this guy perpetually made cracks about Naruto not having a penis (which he did have and he was exceptionally proud of its size compared to his lean, but muscular build). To start making gay jokes after the twentieth (twenty might even be an understatement) girl to dump Naruto for his dream revolving around cars…actually intrigued the blond. He was willing to try anything at least once.

“Sorry Sai, but you’re not really my type.” Naruto teased. While he did prefer girls with dark hair, this guy was just a few marbles short of normal, and Naruto was nearly convinced Sai followed him home once. He was creepy and it was rare for them to get along.

Something like a snort emitted from the pale man, making Naruto’s smile fall. “Please, like I would want to go out with a moron.”

That was exactly why Naruto didn’t like Sai. The conversation starts off nice – border lining supportive in this case – and then he turns around and leaves you flat on your ass with an insult. Before Naruto could even respond, he found himself alone in the sporting goods aisle again. He was certain that Sai had secret passages all throughout the store, and this just proved it.

Well, whatever. His shift would end soon and he could take the bus home. Of course the original plan had been to take his girlfriend to see the new Batman movie after work, but that was obviously not happening now. At least she didn’t break up with him after he spent money on her at the theater, which was far more considerate than some of his previous exes.

When it was time to head home, Naruto already had his ear buds blasting Say Anything’s “This Is Fucking Ecstasy” as he swiped a Coke Zero from the employee’s lounge and headed out the front of the store. He had to step out of the way as a young boy with bushy white hair and red marks jutting from his eyes. The kid could be no older than twelve, and he was being chased by (or racing, Naruto couldn’t tell) a girl his age with soft blonde hair pulled up in a puffy ponytail. 

He smiled briefly as the two kids ran further into the store before glancing at the bulletin board next to one of the claw machines that was littered with colorful flyers. A lot of them were torn or covered with newer flyers, ones that probably weren’t permitted to be there. Usually he only checked the board to see if someone was missing a pet so that he could keep an eye out (although he had yet to find one), but today something else caught his eye.

_LONELY?_

Naruto snorted. Well that was a good way to get someone’s attention. Probably a “service” advertisement, which was prohibited on the boards, and it was up to the employees to take it down and report it when they spotted one. He reached over and plucked the paper from its staple. His smirk faded as he read the flyer. It was a small, white rectangular sheet up paper with plain black Times New Roman font; very inconspicuous for a service ad.

_No friends or family to call your own?_

BROKE?

Struggling to make it through each day?

We could use people like you.

Here at the White Eye Research Facility, we need people to test the final stages of vaccines before releasing them to the public. If you want to help serve your country in the utmost discreet and inexpensive manner, you won’t think twice about this chance. For every shot you receive, you will be paid $500 in full.

Naruto’s lips moved as he silently read the address and phone number to himself. He twisted his neck around, checking for anyone watching him. He wasn’t sure why he felt apprehensive as he balled up the paper and stuffed it in his pocket as he walked out the automatic doors.

Five hundred dollars…that was a lot of money. To those who had at least 40k in their checking account, five hundred dollars was a mere hour wasted away on eBay buying designer clothes and books for their kindles. To Naruto, five hundred dollars was a hundred meter leap closer to his dream car. And that much for just one shot! If he could handle two, or maybe even three…the possibility of owning a ‘64 vintage Mustang by the time he turned twenty-one was actually tangible!

He would call this number and set up an appointment for his next day off! Hello dream car, here he comes!

\---

Naruto wasn’t sure exactly what he had been expecting when he called the White Eye Research Facility, but…normalcy definitely wasn’t it. Perhaps he had expected it to be more open and self-important like a hospital, or maybe even something smaller, but on a busy highway. Definitely not an obscure office space on the side of a rundown strip mall with a family-owned pizza parlor and tiny Starbucks Coffee on each corner of the parking lot. The place was hidden within the bricks on the side of a goodwill store, no windows, not even in the heavy wooden door that was painted the same faded blue as the wall. There was a FOR LEASE sign with a penis and balls etched into it duct taped next to the door, and he stared at it as he stepped into the so-called research facility.

This was really sketchy. Maybe he should leave. The walls inside were covered with fake wood paneling that was peeling. The wall to the far left was actually the outside of a grey cubicle, and it had a narrow gap between where it ended and the next cubicle began on the other side of the room. Could they not refurbish the place or something? If they could afford to give volunteers five hundred dollars, why didn’t they spend that money towards getting a better equipped facility?

There were already two people sitting in the only available metal folding chairs by the front desk, both busy filling out some form on clipboards. A woman at a wooden desk that had seen better days was very kind when she instructed him – in an accent that Naruto placed as Cajun French – to provide as much in-depth information as he could on his own form.

He smiled to himself to quash his anxiety as he settled against the wall and slid down until he was sitting cross-legged on the rough, stained carpet that provided no comfort to his ass whatsoever.

Flipping through the form, he nodded to himself. It was what he expected for something like this; how many bones had he broken (five, and a hairline fracture), when his last flu shot was (Wal-Mart provided that evil luxury for its employees), how many partners he’d had since he became sexually active (fourteen…or maybe fifteen…okay, he was being modest; it was probably more like seventeen or eighteen, but he used protection every time and he always got tested!). It always bothered him when these things asked if his parents or other relatives had any kind of mental or hereditary illnesses; he didn’t know anything like that, he’d lived in a foster home all his life.

He was on the last page of the form, vaguely wondering where the insurance inquiries were – he figured this place preferred to keep a low key and not risk any kind of law suits. Normally that would worry someone, but what did Naruto care? A little side effect for five hundred dollars was a good deal – when a man that had to be in his early twenties, if not younger, came through the constricted hallway created by the cubicles.

His long, straight brown hair was pulled back in a low ponytail, and he was holding his own clipboard as he studied the three volunteers in the room with lucid white eyes that made Naruto shiver when they settled on him.  
“Are you done?” the man suddenly asked him.

While there was no one else sitting near him, Naruto still pointed to himself in question. At the curt nod of confirmation, he stammered with his words. “Uh, well…I think so? I mean, I still have-”

He didn’t get a chance to finish, the man turning his back on him. He motioned with his hand for Naruto to follow him and began walking down the hall. Naruto swallowed, scrambling to his feet to catch up to the man. He glanced at the other two occupants waiting and they glared at him. It wasn’t like he was purposefully cutting in line. He was just doing as he was told to by the…doctor? What was this guy, anyway? He was wearing a white lab coat, so Naruto supposed doctor was the proper title.

They turned into one of the cubicles so suddenly that Naruto had to take back a step. The cubicle was 6x6 and had a narrow examining table in it, a metal cabinet, a swivel stool and a small, rolling medical table that held a couple of syringes, a jar of cotton balls, a box of disposable latex gloves, and a few other medical devices that looked like normal procedure to Naruto.

“What’s your name?” the man asked, holding his hand out to Naruto.

It took him a moment, but he gracelessly handed the doctor his clipboard. “Naruto Uzumaki.” He grinned, but it went unseen.

“Sit on the table,” The man went through his form quickly while Naruto hopped up on the examining table. “No family?”

Naruto gave a light chuckle, as he usually did whenever his family situation was brought up. He found it made people less uncomfortable while he explained. “Well, yeah. I lived in a foster home all my life. Now I’m twenty, so I’m all on my own.”

“Do you keep in touch with your foster family?” The man didn’t look at him.

“Nah, I don’t want to bother them. They’d been great, so why burden them any further, right?”

This time he did get a look, but it was brief and empty. “What about friends? Anyone we should contact in case of an emergency?”

“None of that. Well…my boss, I guess?” Naruto shrugged.

“Where do you work?”

“Wal-Mart.” Was it just Naruto or did this doctor seem dissatisfied?

The doctor flipped back to the part of the form where Naruto had filed out his job description. “You just work in the aisles and collect baskets in the parking lot?”

Now Naruto knew he was disappointed. Well shit, if he had known he’d have to deal with a disgruntled father-figure for a doctor then he wouldn’t have signed up for this. “Mister, can we just get this over with? I just want my money, I kinda need it.”

“Saving up for college?”

“A car,” There was the discontent again. “A model I’ve wanted since I was a kid. I’ve been saving up for years.” He frowned when he noticed the doctor started writing something down on his form. “It’s my dream car.”

This time the doctor didn’t glance at him with disgruntlement or boredom. At first his expression was pensive, then it morphed into…was that, admiration? “I see…” He scratched out whatever he had just written and started over. “Just curious, what would you say your specialty is? Maybe a hobby or just something you’re particularly good at?”

Naruto grinned, straightening his back proudly. “I know my cars. I can fix any kind, just tell me what’s wrong with it. I’ve wanted to be a mechanic since I was a kid, and I’ve shadowed all the garages in town. My foster father used to come to me first before going to a repair shop when he was having car troubles. In my freshman year of high school, I fixed the car myself and it never broke down once during my remaining years in that home.”

Clearly this was a pleasant surprise to the doctor. He wrote some more on Naruto’s forum and then set it down on the swivel stool. Naruto leaned forward to see what he had added to his information, but the other man stepped in his line of vision. He wordlessly rolled the small table closer to them and yanked on a pair of blue latex gloves. He gave Naruto a quick onceover, taking his blood pressure and the works that came with a customary checkup. He happily declared Naruto in perfect health.

Naruto peered at the two syringes that were each filled with some pellucid substance. There was no label on either, just a red tab on one and green on the other.

The doctor lifted his left arm between them, and he cleaned the skin on the inside of the elbow with a damp cotton ball before applying just a dab of EMLA numbing cream to the area. He lifted the syringe with the green tab off the table. A soft sigh escaped the man’s lips as he deftly placed the tip of the needle to the blue vein beneath tan skin.

Naruto eyed the shot before averting his gaze to concentrated white eyes. “So what’s this one for?” He hoped he didn’t sound as nervous as he felt. His stomach was knotted with anticipation. He’d gotten shots before with no qualms, and he gave blood once or twice, so he had no idea why red flags were going up in his head. He had to know what his body was about to take in.

“Hm?” the doctor raised an eyebrow, not diverting his eyes or hands.

“The flyer said you’d be testing vaccines? What’s this one for?”

The man’s mouth formed a small ‘o’. He swallowed and said, “It’s for the future.”

“Huh?”

The needle punctured his skin before the doctor had any time to elaborate. Or at least it looked like the doctor was trying to explain it to him, but the volume of his voice kept decreasing until everything was mute but the droning of the ceiling light and his blood pulsing in his ears. He frowned, blinking several times. When had those other two doctors come in, and why did they all look the same?

He rubbed his eyes, trying to make them focus right, but the darkness from closing them was pleasant to his senses. He wanted to stay there, even if just for a little while. It felt good, peaceful. He could rest easy in this emptiness. The problems of the day were brushed off his shoulders like dust. This darkness was not a bad thing, or it didn’t feel that way.

But he couldn’t stay too long. He was actually pretty hungry; he had been thinking about ordering a pizza from the Dominos near his house. He could shovel down a small on his own in a matter of minutes. Deep dish sounded great right about now; who cared if it would cost a little extra? He’d be getting five hundred dollars from this little excursion anyway.

Speaking of which, had he passed out or something? He had never fainted from the sight or feel of needles before. Damn, he hoped he wasn’t having some chronic allergic reaction to whatever they injected him with. Was he dead? Did he actually die from a vaccine? That would be ironic. What had the guy said the injection was for? The future? He was probably being cryptic and meant something like the future of all mankind. Weirdo.

“…appears he’s coming to…”

That was a female voice just now. Oh great, did he actually pass out from the shot and now he had a nurse looking over him? Hopefully she wasn’t cute otherwise this would be horrifically embarrassing. He tended to pass gas in his sleep.

“…anks, Hinata…insurance forms…Mr. Uchiha out in...”

Naruto groaned, or at least he tried to but it came out as more of a crackled whimper. His throat was inordinately dry and it burned to simply swallow his own spit, as little as there was. Instead of the incessant blackness that he been experiencing, he became progressively aware of light prickling through his eyelids. Like waking up to the sun’s rays breaching the blinds of his bedroom window. His lids split open only slightly, but he had to shut them immediately to the blaring overhead lights. He tried to request for them to be turned off but all that came out was an odd croaking noise.

The corners of his mouth were caked with dried spittle, and his tongue was heavy and desiccated within his mouth. “Wa-” He coughed. “Wat…er…”

Feeling was slowly returning to his body, unfortunately baring nothing but discomfort. His feet and hands were fucking freezing! His joints and muscles were agonizingly stiff, pain radiating in his knees and shooting through the rest of the leg. He had a headache the size of Lake Pontchartrain, and his stomach was twisting around a ball of needles, or at least it felt that way. He couldn’t tell if it was hunger pains or simply gas. God, if it was gas he prayed that he could hold it in while that nurse was in the room (if she was even still there).

“Yes, I’m sure you’re thirsty,” a man said on his left. 

Naruto’s surroundings went mute again, his mind falling back into the prior darkness once more. Something touched his lips gently, bringing him back to consciousness. He squint his eyes, seeing nothing more than a blurred shape before him.

“It’s water. Put your mouth on the straw.”

It took a few moments, but with the help of the man, he was able to find and get his chapped lips around the straw. The effort it took just to suck in and swallow the liquid frustrated Naruto. He hadn’t been this helpless since he was seventeen and had his wisdom teeth removed. Even then he had pushed himself through the pain and numbness of the recovery period.

“Take your time,” the man spoke softly. “You’ve been in a deep slumber for a very long time, so you’ll find that your body is weak. You’ll regain your strength in half an hour, maybe.”

Naruto turned his narrowed gaze on the man holding his water. He couldn’t see any defining features, but he recognized the long, dark hair and pale skin. It was the doctor. He clumsily pushed the straw out of his mouth with his tongue, licking his lips but they stung at the contact. He winced and tried to open his eyes some more to see the doctor fully. “Half hour…?” he asked, his voice gruff with sleep. “How long…have I been asleep?”

“Fifty-two years,” The doctor held the straw to him again. “Drink some more water.”

Naruto blinked through his blurry vision. He ignored the plastic straw rubbing against his lips as he spoke. “Sorry, ‘m still kinda coming to, doc…did you say fifty-two years? You mean minutes, right?”

“No, I mean years,” the man said nonchalantly. “You’ve been frozen for fifty-two years.”

Well that would explain his cold hands and feet…wait, what? “What?”

“Ah, yes, memory loss is a common occurrence when wakened from cryogenic stasis. Tell me the last thing you recall before you had been put under.” The doctor finally pulled the cup away, seeing as Naruto was no longer in the mood to quench his thirst.

“Wha…I was being tested on with vaccines…like…only five minutes ago?” His vision becoming clearer, Naruto looked around the room with a hooded gaze. He saw his reflection in a mirror across the room from the table he was stretched out on. He looked the same as usual, just with an exhausted, yet impassive, visage and wrapped in a thick brown blanket from the neck down. His eyes landed on the doctor sitting before him and recognized immediately that it was not the same guy from before, though they had some identical features. The doctor’s brother? “You kinda look like him…” he blurted out.

“Who?”

“The guy that gave me the shot. What was the shot for…?”

“Do you remember the exact date of when you received this shot?” The doctor lifted a black tablet off his lap, running his index finger over the screen.

Naruto stared at the back of the tablet (there was a red and white fan on the back…a brand logo?) while he recollected the date. “It was…a Wednesday? Yeah, it was July 25th, 2012.”

The doctor nodded. “Mhm. Exactly fifty-two years and one week ago. It is August 3rd, 2064 today. See?” He held the tablet out to Naruto so he could see the screen.

Naruto flinched at the icons and words on the screen as they seemed to pop out at him with an impressive 3D effect. It took him a moment for his mind to focus on the date that was displayed at the top of the screen. He blanched at the numbers. “But…that’s impossible. I mean…this has got to be a dream, right?”

The tablet was pulled away and the man stared at Naruto. “This isn’t a dream.” He set the tablet on a metal table behind him and stood up, smoothing out his already perfectly pressed lab coat. “Can you sit up?”

Naruto rose to a slouched sitting position with the help of the doctor supporting his back, the blanket falling off to reveal him in a standard blue hospital smock. This definitely wasn’t what he had been wearing earlier. He wondered if they still had his clothes stashed somewhere. Not that it mattered or anything; he was…in the future, for Christ’s sake!

He had loved watching Futurama as a teenager, and still caught a few episodes on Comedy Central when he had time, but this…this was different. In a way, he was the same as Phillip J. Fry; waking up in the future with no clue as to how or why…and no one back in his time to miss him or mourn his disappearance. But for Naruto, he was only fifty-something years in the future, and so far he was receiving much better treatment after just waking up. Things didn’t appear to have advanced far since to his time; they were still using touch pads and had florescent light fixtures on the ceiling. Then again, he had yet to discover what was beyond this room. He could still be ushered off to a hot career assignment officer that would force him to be an employee at Wal-Mart for the rest of his life. “You’re not going to stab me in the hand with a career chip, are you?”

The doctor looked at him in bemusement.

Naruto waved a hand sheepishly, the limb still heavy in his wakening state. “Lame joke, sorry.” He snickered suddenly at a thought. “It’s from before your time.”

“You’re taking this rather well,” the doctor said slowly. “Normally the ones who wake up are disoriented and sometimes get…hysterical.”

Naruto shrugged. “Well if I really am in the future, then there’s not much I can do. And if I’m not, and this is all just one big joke, like reality TV, I am going to break some bones. You’ve been warned.”

The man hummed, indifferent to the threat. “Well thank goodness this is reality. Follow my finger with your eyes.” He shifted his pointed finger around between them, watching Naruto’s face carefully. He began to instruct Naruto to move his arms in certain ways, such as rotating them, flexing, so on and so forth. 

“Where am I?” Naruto asked as he touched the pads of his fingers together and then touched the tip of his nose when he was told to.

“The White Eye Research Facility. I’m Neji Hyūga, the current head scientist. Hizashi Hyūga, my father and co-founder of the company, is the one who put you under fifty-two years ago.”

“That explains the resemblance. He had to have been really young in my time to have a kid your age.”

“He was twenty-three when he met you. I myself turned thirty-one a month ago.”

“Huh…you look good for thirty.” Naruto flushed when Neji smirked at him for the comment. He hadn’t meant for it to sound like he was flirting with the doctor. After all, that had to be like pedophilia or something. He was technically in his seventies now, probably a couple of years older. Wow, he had never thought he’d ever get to this year! The idea never even crossed his mind, really. Usually people asked where they saw themselves in ten years. Fifty years was a long ways away, or at least it had seemed that way. He used to joke around, saying he’d kill himself before he got too old. Now he was the only one in his generation that could do a somersault and not break something in the process.

It was a sobering thought. Everyone he knew from his time was either dead or using a walker to get around by now. There was no one he could pop in on, ask how they’ve been, catch up on good times...he was just as alone now as he had been back in 2012. 

Naruto clicked his tongue as Neji checked his reflexes. “Can I ask you some questions?”

“Certainly.” Neji accentuated with a swift strike to his knee with a small rubber hammer. Naruto’s leg kicked the air involuntarily.

“Why did I get shoved in a freezer in the first place? I had just gone to test some vaccines…that’s what I thought I’d be doing.” He couldn’t help but frown, vaguely relieved that his body was almost fully under his control once more. It still ached in places, but the pain was dull. The black haze had completely disappeared from his consciousness, and the sleepiness with it.

Neji made a pensive face, his movements robotic as he took Naruto’s blood pressure. “Well, it’s not often that we come across cryogenically frozen subjects…er…people that didn’t volunteer to do this. You’re actually one of the first to be frozen after my father and uncle began this whole project fifty-five years ago. I assume they were just looking for inconspicuous people that wouldn’t raise questions if they went missing. Your file does say that you had no contacts in your time.”

Naruto’s eyes narrowed as he remembered the prying questions the other doctor had asked him about his nonexistent family and friends. Naruto had told him that his boss was his only emergency contact, so it would have been easy to just call in his resignation. “Son of a bitch…” he muttered under his breath. He had never felt so stupid. Too bad the guy was old now, or Naruto would tear that doctor a new one next time he saw him.

Neji handed him the cup of water, his expression almost contrite. “Drink some more.” He waited for Naruto to drink from the straw before speaking again. “The point of the project is to preserve skills from the past so that they could be put to use later on. At first we were a government secret, so only federal officials would come in and make requests for certain people to be unfrozen. However, we went public about ten years ago. Now those with enough money come in, looking for particular people with skills they need and buying them.”

Naruto choked on his water. “Buying them? Isn’t that human trafficking?”

“Well, you might see it that way,” Neji said defensively. “But in the long run, it’s the perfect set up. A wealthy benefactor calls upon a skill and when they no longer need that skill, they set the person up with everything they need to survive in this time period on their own.”

“Oh…” Naruto looks down at his water. “So it’s not like a bunch of rich bastards are keeping people in shackles in their attics.”

“Not at all,” He indicated for Naruto to continue drinking with a tilt of his head. Checking the watch on his wrist, he peered over his shoulder at the mirror. Sighing, he got to the point. “Of course, a few of the subjects’ skill sets have become outdated as it was never necessary to unfreeze them. You were among that obsolete group for a while.”

Naruto’s eyebrows disappeared beneath his bangs as he stared wide-eyed at the doctor. That was right…he had told Neji’s father that his specialty was auto mechanics. He didn’t think of that until now. He could only imagine how much cars had changed in the past fifty years. So if he was now useless in this time, why was he awake now?

Neji didn’t wait for him to ask the question aloud. “Someone has need of your particular skill.” He lifted his tablet and glanced at the screen. “Auto repairs. Supposedly you can fix any car from your time and before that.”

This news threw his heart into overdrive due to excitement. He was being sought out to do the very thing he loved! It was about time. It was good to know people in this time still found pleasure in collecting antique cars. Oh, but now the newer models he was used to seeing in his time were considered vintage; that would take some getting used to. “Yeah,” Naruto confirmed for Neji when he noticed the other man was waiting for him to say something. “All the way back to the late forties, early fifties models. What kind of car is it?”

“I don’t know,” Neji clipped. “He didn’t say.”

“Oh,” Naruto didn’t bother hiding his disappointment. He really wanted to know what kind of car he’d be working on. “Well…okay. Yeah, sure, cool. I’ll fix some rich bastard’s car. It’s what I’ve always dreamed of doing.”

“That’s good. Can you stand?” 

Naruto pushed off the examining table, not even noticing how cold the linoleum floor was with his own freezing feet. His legs were wobbly, and he had to hold onto the table for support until he was sure his knees wouldn’t give out. Several minutes passed, Neji waiting patiently in silence, and Naruto stood up straight when his legs no longer felt like putty. He put his hands on his hips, a triumphant grin making his lips crack despite the moisturizer Neji had applied to them during his physical examination.

“Now try walking around the room.”

He did just that, taking a few unsteady steps at first, and then pacing himself with a leisure walk around the room’s perimeter. Excited, he ended up skipping the last few steps back to Neji, which was a dire mistake as it gave him a tremendous headache.

“You need to get some proper food in your system before trying anything like that again.” Neji’s tone was a mixture of both advising and teasing. He tapped his fingers on the screen of the tablet as he spoke. “How do you feel?”

“Besides my knees feeling like they’re on fire and a killer headache?” Naruto chuckled in spite of himself. “My feet and hands are freezing, I can’t feel my butt, and I’m starving!” He never knew his butt could go numb. Was it even still attached to him?

Neji’s eyes followed Naruto as the blond approached the big mirror embedded in the wall. “Yes, all that’s normal. I was looking for symptoms such as nausea, dizziness, pressure against your skull which could mean swelling in the brain…” he trailed off.

Naruto didn’t notice the sudden silence as he continued to check his butt through the gap in the hospital gown, eyeing its reflection in the mirror as he massaged and spread the cheeks experimentally. He was glad to see that it was all intact, not sure why he had jumped to the theory that his ass had fallen off from being cryogenically frozen.

“You do realize that’s actually a two-way mirror, right? Your benefactor is watching on the other side.” Neji announced hesitantly.

Something akin to a yelp tore from Naruto’s throat and he hopped away from the mirror, turning to face it while clasping his hands over his rear. His face burned so hot that his forehead began to perspire. Too bad the blush didn’t warm his hands or feet in the process. He glared at Neji when the other man failed to suppress a chuckle. Well fucking great. He hadn’t even met his benefactor yet and already he had embarrassed himself in front of the guy by giving him a blatant view of everything he owned.

Neji sighed to rid himself of his smirk, and he retrieved a box from the counter in the far corner of the room. “Here are your personal effects from your time.” He set the box on the examining table. “Get dressed. I’ll be right back to introduce you to your benefactor.” Naruto didn’t budge from his spot, staring at the floor with his hands remaining behind him. “Uzumaki,” he called, successfully catching the blond’s attention. “Get dressed.”

“Oh, right.” Naruto laughed nervously. He watched Neji leave, and instantly felt awkward and alone in the room. He was…really in the future, huh? Well this was crazy. Like a movie from his time. He wondered if he could pull off the heroic lead role. Probably not since he had been bought by some rich bastard to fix his car; it would be a quick and easy job most likely, and he’d be sent off to trudge through yet another lonesome life - no, he couldn’t let himself think like that! What did he hope to accomplish with such a self-pitying attitude? He had been given the chance to start over! He could make something of himself this time around, and there was no one around who knew him or judged him for his past. He had a fresh, clean slate that he could do just about anything with. How many people wished they could have a do-over but never got it? He was actually really lucky despite everything.

Mind made up, he opened the box and a sense of nostalgia rolled over him as he stared at the outfit he had worn to the White Eye Research Facility fifty-two years ago. He looked around the room he was in one last time, purposefully avoiding the mirror with his eyes. They had definitely upgraded their facilities since then. Neji had said they’d gone public, so they must have been swimming in piles of money with all the attention they were getting from the rich bastards that harbored no reservations about buying a frozen human being. 

Naruto got dressed slowly, minding his sore body. “I wonder what the latest trends are today…” he muttered to himself as he slipped on his Vans. He stuffed his pockets with his cell phone, iPod, and wallet. A sense of familiarity filled his mind, as though he was simply getting ready to leave his apartment rather than step out into the future.

Tossing the hospital gown into the empty box, Naruto strolled casually out of the room. He admired the vast hallway that branched out in three different directions. So much better than that sketchy hole-in-the-wall office space from before. Not to mention the lights out here were softer compared to the room he’d just exited, and his headache lessened noticeably.

Neji was nowhere in sight. Nobody was around, not even a nurse or other scientists. The quiet was unnerving, reminding Naruto of that movie 28 Days Later when Cillian Murphy’s character woke up in the deserted hospital. 

The idea of waiting for Neji to come back struck him as boring. He was in the future, goddamn it! He should take this chance to explore the new territory; this was a place for research so surely they’d have the latest gadgets in the market. Setting way down the hall that stretched before him, Naruto kept his hands in his pockets as he examined his surroundings. Things definitely hadn’t changed much since his time. There were touch screens next to all the doors, but no automatic walkways to take you to your destination or sliding doorways. Robots, like in The Jetsons, were MIA. What year had that cartoon been set in? Weren’t they supposed to be in the year 2062? Big shocker there, a children’s cartoon being dead wrong about what the future would look like. They even still had the same three-prong outlets along the baseboards of the walls. Naruto only had himself to blame for chalking up high expectations of what fifty-two years in the future could be. 

However, back in 2011 he had predicted that touch screens would become a norm, and sure enough he had been right. Even the ultrathin TV screens that were placed in various points along the ongoing corridor were touch screen. They all had the same red and white fan logo as Neji’s tablet, proving the brand logo theory correct. 

Just how much had he missed while he was frozen? Who was president now, and what political party were they in? Shit, he hadn’t been able to vote in the elections. He had registered for the very purpose of participating that time around. He hoped his absence hadn’t affected the outcome too much (not that he felt like his single vote was tremendously important, but one never knew).

“Naruto Uzumaki, please report to the front desk. Naruto Uzumaki, please report to the front desk.” An intercom above his head clicked off.

Naruto snorted in amusement. He had completely forgotten that he was supposed to be looking for Neji, having been too preoccupied with other thoughts. First he moons his benefactor and now he has to be called out by the receptionist at the front desk. Whoever his benefactor was, he had to be regretting his decision to purchase Naruto by now.

“Wonder what he’s like,” he mumbled, retracing his steps to the room he had come from. Way to go to the genius who actually thought that Naruto knew where the front desk was. As he got closer to his staring point, he saw a young woman with long, dark blue hair standing by the door to the room he had woken up in. She spotted him coming, and met him hallway with urgent steps. Naruto barely got the chance to admire her short khaki skirt before he was forced to meet her white eyes out of courtesy. She had to be related to Neji somehow; brother and sister, maybe?

“Mr. Uzumaki,” she said in an apprehensive tone. “We’ve been looking for you. You shouldn’t wander off on your own, especially when your benefactor is waiting for you. Please come with me.”

Naruto grinned sheepishly and fell into step alongside the woman. She was really pretty, with smooth, pale skin that was slightly flushed in the cheeks. He wondered how old she was, since Neji didn’t look a day over twenty-one and yet was ten years older. “What’s your name?” he asked casually.

The woman looked flustered by the question, but she answered gently, “I’m Hinata, Neji’s cousin.”

“Let me guess,” Naruto smiled. “Your dads were brothers? I knew Neji’s dad, and Neji looks just like him. So I assume that’s how you’re related.”

“Yes, that’s correct.” If Hinata was bothered by Naruto dissecting her family ties she didn’t show it. What a trooper. “Our fathers founded this company together.”

“Oh.” Naruto replied lamely. A tall man in a lab coat walked rounded a corner up ahead and stepped passed them. He also had white eyes, which suddenly made the name of the research facility click in his head. “So I take it just about everyone in your family works here? You all have the same eyes.”

Hinata nodded curtly. “We’re homeschooled so that we excel in the study of cryogenics.”

Naruto figured he should stop pestering her about her family, which came off as wacky in his personal opinion. He decided to try and learn a little about his benefactor with what little time he had before meeting the guy so that there were no unpleasant surprises. “Um, hey…”

Kind white eyes turned to him. “Yes?”

Wow, this girl had the patience of a saint. Most girls he knew back in his time would have yelled at him to shut up by now. Hinata would be easy to talk to on a date, he could tell. Naruto forced such thoughts out of his head. He’d probably never see her again after this. “I was just wondering if you knew who my benefactor was, and if you could tell me.”

“Oh, yes. His name is Sasuke Uchiha. He’s the CEO of Uchiha Tech.” The answer was short and precise, and incredibly dissatisfying.

“Oh…” Naruto said in dismay. “So some old guy.”

“Not at all!” Hinata said with surprised delight. “He’s the youngest to ever hold such a high position in a successful corporation. He turned twenty-five about a week ago. He was declared a prodigy at the age of twelve.”

“Whoa…” Naruto looked away from her in time to see two annoyed men standing next to a circular desk in a wide opened area covered with windows as tall as the ceiling. One he recognized immediately as Neji, and the other was a handsome young man in a suit. The men looked nearly angelic with the way light spilled in through the towering window panes behind them, like two celestial beings awaiting Naruto. It reminded him of that one Ludo album, Broken Bride, where the time traveler is granted his wish to see his wife again after saving the world from the Apocalypse. However, the closer he and Hinata got to them, the angrier the two men appeared. He could practically feel the tension in the air. The thought of angels left him to fend for himself before them.

“Naruto Uzumaki, I presume?” the man with carefully styled raven hair inquired, obviously frustrated.

“The one and only!” Naruto stood straight with mock haughtiness, his attempt to lighten the mood lost on the room’s other occupants. Clearly at some point in the past fifty years everyone had tragically lost their sense of humor. He attempted to make amends, but he wasn’t sure how to address his benefactor. “Uh…so you’re Sasuke?”

“Hn,” the man glared deliberately at Neji who appeared just as fed up as him, a drastic change from the man Naruto had thought he’d gotten to know back in the room.

Hinata had been right about Sasuke Uchiha. He looked even younger than twenty-five, very pale and the same height as Naruto. His haircut wasn’t what one would expect a man of his position to have. It was long and framed his face in the front, bangs reaching past his eyebrows, and it stuck out in the back as though he woke up in the morning, ran his fingers through it and just left it like that. Naruto was not one to judge since he did exactly that with his own hair every morning.

Black eyes gazed back at him, and Naruto realized he was openly ogling his benefactor. He tried not to react at being caught, but he was cursed to with honest expressions. He had the hardest time hiding his true thoughts and feelings, which everyone said was refreshing but then later found annoying as they got to know him.

“If you’re finished staring,” Sasuke even sounded young when he spoke. How did he manage to command authority of a company when he looked and sounded like that? “I’m already behind schedule because you can’t stay in one place.” He turned back to Neji, missing the discreet middle finger Naruto aimed at him. “Are we done here?”

“Yes,” Neji, who did see the finger, shot a warning glare at Naruto. “He’s all yours.”

Naruto didn’t like the idea of belonging to someone, especially this corporate asshole. He almost didn’t want to leave the facility; he had become accustomed to its surroundings and felt a slight attachment to Neji even though he was acting like a jerk now.

“Let’s go,” Sasuke clipped and he began heading for the automatic sliding glass doors at the front of the brightly lit lobby.

Naruto moved to follow him, but he quickly remembered something and stopped in front of Neji. “Hey, I was supposed to get paid five hundred bucks for volunteering with your dad. I believe you owe me some money.”

Neji snorted, but seeing the determination on Naruto’s face made his smirk falter. His eyes averted to Hinata, but she just smiled in amusement. “Fine,” he snapped, reaching into the back pocket of his dress pants and retrieving a leather wallet. “You’re from 2012, right?”

Naruto nodded, holding out his hand expectantly, fingers spread.

“Times have changed,” Neji’s smirk returned full force as he slapped a five dollar bill into Naruto’s hand. “That’s about how much five hundred dollars from back then is worth today. Take it, it’s on me.”

Naruto glared between the five dollars and the doctor.

“Unfortunately he’s right.” Hinata commented unhelpfully.

“Welcome to the future.” Neji said mockingly.

Naruto crumpled the dollar bill in his fist and trudged after Sasuke who was waiting by the doors with his arms crossed. Somehow Naruto knew he wasn’t going to get to go on some grand adventure in outer space like Fry from Futurama. Especially not when he only had five dollars in his pocket. Hizashi Hyūga better be dead otherwise Naruto was going to find him and punch his lights out, elderly be damned.

\---

“Hey, I’m hungry.” Naruto announced as he lounged back in the plush seat of the car. Sasuke sat next to him, looking through emails on his touch screen phone. Dark eyes flitted to him and Naruto grinned innocently. “What? I haven’t eaten in fifty-two years!”

Sasuke let out a quiet sigh, putting his phone away. “What do you want to eat?”

“Deep dish pizza,” Naruto answered almost immediately. “With four cheeses!”

The phone was whipped out again and Sasuke’s fingers flew over the touch screen with practiced ease. He stared at the screen for a couple of seconds before holding the phone up for Naruto to see, an eyebrow raised questioningly.  
His mouth watered at the image of the cheese pizza that popped out of the screen. He wanted to eat the phone, it looked so good! 

“Looks great!” Naruto said excitedly, his stomach agreeing with him. The hunger pains were much more tolerable now that he knew he was going to be fed.

He watched Sasuke lean forward to inform his driver of their new destination, the middle-aged man smiling at Naruto in the rearview mirror. Naruto smiled back briefly before resuming in watching his benefactor. He could see Sasuke running a company. All of his movements were deliberate and elegant; he was graceful even when settling back in his seat. His long fingers – his nails were manicured, Naruto noted – swiped across the touch screen phone with purpose.

“I have to make a call, so keep quiet.” Sasuke said suddenly, lifting his phone to his ear.

Naruto watched with mute fascination as Sasuke’s face transformed from impassive to severe in the blink of an eye. He bit the inside of his cheeks and turned to stare out the window, finding comfort in recognizing the familiar historic buildings of the Downtown area. Not much was different; a new high-rise here, a renovated family restaurant there. He was grateful for the lack of change, practically reveling in it. He hadn’t been aware of it before, mostly because he hadn’t been able to name it, but he’d been fretting the idea of being a total stranger in his hometown. And to his relief, the fashion hadn’t changed too drastically since his time, either. There were a few accessories he saw on women they drove past that left him utterly bewildered (a hat made out of recycled CDs, a purse that’s strap wrapped around the entire arm, fake rubber hands with ridiculous nails for gloves), but he kept his opinions to himself. Who was he to judge what was cool and uncool in the future?

“It’s me. Cancel my meeting this evening.”

Naruto’s eyes bulged, and he whipped his head around to see who was speaking. There had to be someone else in the car besides Sasuke and the driver, right? Because as far as he was concerned, neither of them possessed such a deep, imposing timbre. 

“Move it to tomorrow morning, nine sharp. Inform anyone who says they can’t make it to turn in their two-week notice. I will not tolerate any excuses.”

Naruto wasn’t sure if he felt sympathetic for or envious of the person on the other line. The voice Sasuke was using to command them was two whole octaves below what he had been speaking in just moments ago. If this was how he voiced commands while running the company then no wonder he was CEO! He probably seduced his way to the top with that damn voice of his. Naruto knew for a fact that he’d drop whatever he was doing just to listen to what Sasuke had to tell him. What did he sound like during sex, he wondered. Ack, he shouldn’t be thinking about that!

“He did what?” Sasuke’s brow creased. Something like a dark aura began to emit from him in waves, making Naruto scoot closer to the window in fear (not for himself, but for whoever Sasuke was suddenly livid at). “Fire him. No, on second thought, I’ll fire him myself. Tell him I want him in my office tomorrow morning at 8:45. Start looking through the job applications from this past summer and leave the three best options on my desk. I’ll look over them when I come in tomorrow morning. When you’re done with all of that you may head home for the day. That is all.” Sasuke ended the call abruptly and put the phone away in his inside coat pocket. He stared forward for several seconds, frown still in place.

“Sir, we’re here,” the driver announced as he put the car into park. All he received was a nod from Sasuke, and he exited the vehicle to retrieve the pizza from the restaurant.

Sasuke’s expression eased up and he turned sharply to Naruto. “Why are you staring at me?” His voice had returned to normal.

Naruto shrugged absently. He doubted that Sasuke would appreciate him telling him that he had a sexy voice. They sat in silence for a few more seconds before Naruto spoke out of discomfort. “So you’re my benefactor?” he asked dumbly.

“You’re the auto mechanic expert from 2012?” Sasuke said back challengingly.

“Expert?” Naruto snickered. Geez, what had Neji’s father written on his information form? “Well, I wouldn’t say expert, but I’ve been known to make any car purr for me.” Oh shit, had that come out as flirtatious? He hoped Sasuke didn’t think he was trying to come onto him.

Sasuke glared at him, clearly not amused by his answer. “Can you fix a Ford Mustang or not?”

Had Naruto heard him right just now? Ah, but he couldn’t get too excited just yet. Sasuke was most likely referring about a Mustang GT or some other recent model from his time. “Sure, what year?”

“It’s a 1964 ½ model. It’s the last one of its kind, but I can’t get it to work. All the others had been turned to scrap metal for the same reason, but I’m determined to fix this one.”

Sasuke clearly had no idea the affect he was having on Naruto at the moment. His breath was caught in his throat, his excitement coming out in a weak hiss of air. His palms began to sweat and he licked his lips while attempting to calm his nerves. “Y-yeah…take me to it, and I’ll see what I can do.”

At that moment the driver returned with a single box of pizza, passing it to the back of the car. Naruto took it eagerly, opening the lid and practically roaring with delight as the best smell in the world filled the car.

“Don’t get any food on the seats.” That was the only warning Sasuke managed to bite out before the horrific scene of a starving Naruto devouring an entire medium-sized pizza played out before him. “Be careful, you idiot. What am I going to do when you start choking?”

Naruto paused, scarred cheeks threatening to burst with the overload of food. He carefully chewed, looking away and covering his mouth as he swallowed down the pizza. Sighing in contentment, he turned back to Sasuke with a wide grin. “You get behind me and bend me over.”

Black eyes dilated. Sasuke placed his fingers on the bridge of his nose and pinched it. “Oh god…you’re a complete moron.” He said it as though it were an epiphany.

“What? No I’m not, bastard!” Naruto shouted. “I was talkin’ about the Heimlich maneuver!”

“I know what you were talking about,” Sasuke bit out in irritation. “You don’t bend a choking person over. You’ll never save anyone’s life that way.”

“Aha, that’s where you’re wrong!” Naruto pointed a greasy finger at Sasuke’s face. The other man leaned back to avoid making contact with it. “I have a picture on my phone of a co-worker helping a choking lady like that!” He lifted his butt off the seat so he could reach into his pocket to retrieve his cell phone. He laughed in victory when he presented his DROID between them. Before he could turn it on, a pale hand snatched it from him. “Hey!”

Sasuke held the phone away from Naruto when he grabbed for it. “I haven’t seen one of these in years.” Turning it over in his hands, he opened the back of it and stared at the battery inside. “How did they ever think this was adequate?”

Naruto huffed in annoyance, attempting once more to take his phone back and failing. “What are you talking about, you bastard? It works just fine.”

Sasuke peered over at him briefly. He replaced the back on the phone and handed it to Naruto. “It’s not going to work. The inside is rotted. Those models don’t last very long.”

“Well excuse me,” Naruto sneered, pressing the power up button on the phone despite Sasuke’s warning. It didn’t turn on. Damn, he had been hoping to rub it in the jerk’s face when it did work. “Not everyone can have a fancy iPhone like you.”

A snort escaped before Sasuke could stop it. He met Naruto’s glare with his own arrogant look. “iPhone, huh?” He pulled out his phone and showed it to Naruto. “This is Uchiha Tech’s Genius. Do you know why it’s called Genius? Because it is the best mobile device in existence to this day. Do you know why they were always coming out with new iPhones? Because those phones constantly needed improvement. There is no Genius 2 or 3, or any other variation of the name, because we got it right the first time. This phone has been in circulation for seven years and has never received a complaint. That is why Apple and all those other companies you remember from your previous life are nonexistent.”

Seeing Naruto’s blue eyes wide with amazement made Sasuke smirk in satisfaction. He put his phone back in his coat pocket and relaxed in his seat.

“Then…” Naruto said slowly. “Who are your competitors?”

“That’s the beauty of it, Uzumaki. When you’re the best there simply is no competition. Every TV, every computer, every phone, tablet, music player, game system…it’s all Uchiha Tech now.” 

Air expelled from Naruto’s lips and he looked at his DROID. “Wow.”

Sasuke also looked at the obsolete phone. “I’ll get you a Genius of your own. Anything else you need replaced?”

Naruto couldn’t answer him at first. No one had ever asked him something like that before; he would always have to go about replacing anything of his that got damaged with his own savings. Even with his foster parents, as great as they were, the most expensive thing they bought him was a Gameboy COLOR. He had to upgrade to a SP with money he’d save up himself later. He could never squander money on himself, and no one stepped forward to do it for him (not that he’d be able to accept such generosity). 

Usually Naruto would politely decline an offer like Sasuke’s, but he had to face facts here. He had absolutely nothing now. Nowhere to go, no source of income, and no formal knowledge as to how much has changed in the past fifty-two years. His pride hated to admit it, but he was solely dependent on Sasuke Uchiha. Still, he couldn’t just take advantage of the offer. He had been raised better than that. He would only ask for what he needed.

Reaching into his other pocket, he pulled out the iPod he had managed to take care of for over five years. “Is it possible to convert the music from here onto another player?”

Sasuke smirked haughtily at the ‘historic’ technology. “Certainly. Is that all?”

“Yeah, thanks.” Good to know the bastard found his dated equipment amusing.

He looked out the window and stared at a billboard for some lingerie company he had never heard of before. It came as a bit of a shock to see a woman’s ass with a thong disappearing between her fully exposed round cheeks blatantly displayed for everyone to see. So public decency wasn’t an issue these days…lovely. Unfortunately it reminded him that just a while ago he had unintentionally mooned Sasuke through a two-way mirror. The guy probably didn’t care since something as provocative as that was on a billboard, but Naruto still had to ask incase the incident left any awkward tension between them. They’d be seeing each other frequently, right? “Um…”

“Yes?”

Naruto chanced a glance at the older (or would he technically be younger?) man. Sasuke was gazing out his own window, but he noticed that black eyes were settled on him in the reflection of the glass. He swallowed at the sight. Simply put, Sasuke was the most beautiful man Naruto had ever met. He could easily beat all of Naruto’s ex-girlfriends in a pageant. He quickly returned his thoughts to the matter at hand. “So yeah, I had no idea that I was checking out my ass in a two-way mirror. You didn’t see anything, right?”

There was silence for several seconds, turning the atmosphere awkward. Or perhaps it was only awkward to Naruto. When Sasuke finally spoke, the smirk was evident in his voice. “Would you prefer that I hadn’t seen anything?”

Naruto groaned. “Don’t play stupid mind games with me! Just be upfront!”

“You want me to be completely upfront about it?”

“Yes, that’s what I just said.” What was with this guy? He was really starting to piss Naruto off.

“Fine,” Sasuke turned to him. “I saw everything. And you have nothing to be ashamed of, it was a very pleasant view.”

Naruto couldn’t tell whether he was being sincere or sardonic. While he had asked Sasuke to be upfront, and Sasuke had more or less agreed, he couldn’t settle with such an answer. He had given Sasuke a front row seat to the viewing of his ass and balls, and the Uchiha thought it was pleasant? What straight man said that sort of thing? 

His face fell. Oh. Well of course, Naruto should have seen that coming from a mile away. The styled hair, the manicure, the fashionable suit, the elegance? He had been giving Sasuke the benefit of the doubt, labeling him a metrosexual (he possessed the disposable income, after all). Clearly he had been too generous with his policy of straight until proven otherwise. Still, he was sitting here with all these assumptions but no concrete evidence.  
“Are you gay?” He hadn’t meant for the question to come out so brash, but at least his tone had been on the casual side.

“I am.” Sasuke was just as relaxed. He was obviously comfortable with his sexuality, which unknowingly made it all the easier for Naruto.

Naruto smiled warmly. “Thanks for being honest with me.”

Sasuke opened his mouth, inhaling sharply as though he was ready to say something, but then he decided against it. He smirked and shook his head. “You’re strange.”

“I am not!” Naruto huffed in annoyance, but he didn’t stay mad long. Even though Sasuke was a CEO and his benefactor, it was surprisingly easy to relax around him once they started speaking. And they shared the same interest in cars, so that was a bonus. What were the chances of being cryogenically frozen for fifty-two years and then woken up to work on the car of his dreams? One in a million, if that! This was working out perfectly after all. He had a sweet setup and a chance to do what he loved without being condemned by people who couldn’t understand. 

“…Have you tried batting for the other team?”

Naruto blinked several times, trying to remember where that line had come from. Oh, right. Sai. That was one of the last things he said to Naruto, which felt highly inappropriate now, but neither had any idea that it would be their final conversation. What truly bothered him about it, though, was that Sai’s words decided at that moment to resound in his mind while there was a gay man sitting next to him. The fact that Sasuke just came out to him had to be the reason his brain decided to remind him of his intrigue in trying to date the same sex. It had only been a passing thought; he didn’t want to dwell on it. He immediately stomped out any further ideas making their way into his head.

“We’ve arrived at your house, sir,” the driver announced, and Naruto thanked the higher power above for the distraction.

He looked out the window as the car pulled around the vast horseshoe driveway. The driver had said house, but all Naruto was seeing was a mansion. A two story mansion built on twelve-foot stilts with a garage that was as high as the first floor of the structure. Two wide stone staircases stretched and wound up to meet in the middle at the front door on the first floor. A tall, white statue of a slender woman with one breast exposed stood shyly amidst the greenery between the landings of the steps, staring down at the jug in her right hand. The stilts were enclosed by rough looking grey stone while the house above had white siding and a faded green tiled roof. Trees just as tall as the mansion lined the property on both sides, leaving it completely enclosed from neighboring homes.

Naruto hadn’t realized he’d been pressed against the car door until it opened suddenly and he nearly fell out onto his face. He exited the vehicle clumsily, looking over at Sasuke who was waiting for him by the stairs on the right side of the door. “Are you paranoid about flooding or something?” he asked, jerking his head towards the stilts.

“I’m taking precautions, yes. You may have gotten through Hurricane Katrina, but you weren’t around for Venus. The calamity that storm caused still haunts people to this day, almost seventeen years later.” Sasuke began to ascend the stairs with his long legs.

Naruto didn’t comment on the supposedly horrific hurricane he'd had the pleasure of sleeping through. He couldn’t even complain about Hurricane Katrina as he fared well through the storm with no flooding in his area, or any major damage to his foster home.

He was a little out of breath by the time they reached the front door, which he blamed on having been frozen for so long. He would need to build his stamina up again when he had some free time.

“Would you like a tour of the house first, or would you prefer to see the car?” Sasuke asked as he opened the door and stepped inside the foyer. He closed the door behind Naruto and waited for his answer.

Naruto swallowed thickly. The walls were a soft cream color that reflected within the polished white tile floor. A white staircase curved along the left wall, leading to the second floor. Across from the front door was a room separated by an archway, but all Naruto could see beyond it was an enormous window with a loveseat set in front of it. There were no pictures or decorations on the walls, leaving the foyer to look empty and plain in spite of everything.

In all honesty, Naruto had expected the CEO of an electronics company to reside within a more modern home, with voice activation devices to welcome him home and tell him the current time and temperature outside. He was letting cartoons fuse with his reality again.

Remembering that Sasuke asked him a question, he looked at the Uchiha with a bright grin. “I want to see the car!”

Sasuke seemed to have figured as much, and he motioned for Naruto to follow him through the foyer towards the huge window. He turned right and they entered a kitchen that fit Naruto’s expectations better than the rest of the house he’d seen so far. 

Oddly, the area was shaped like an open-ended triangle. The walls were the same white as the cabinets, complimented by a dark grey marble counter and splashback. All the accessories and accents were stainless steel, just like all the modern kitchens in his time.

Naruto didn’t get much of a chance to examine the room as Sasuke kept walking towards an inconspicuous white door with a small, square window in it. When the stepped through it, a sense of vertigo left him gripping the railing in front of him. He stared down into the vast garage, having to squint from the bright lights bouncing off the white surface of the floor and walls. The whole room was completely empty save for a single vehicle parked in the center.

He flew down the steps and stopped before the car, nearly falling to his knees. The car…the fucking gorgeous car! Definitely a 1964 ½ model, meaning one of the first Mustangs to ever come off the line. He could see his reflection perfectly in the sleek black paint job. The dashboard was varnished dark wood, the vintage steering wheel peeking over the top (mot likely the original). Black leather covered the seats, and just like in the original models, there were no headrests. Everything was in mint condition.

“Right before my eyes…sweet Jesus, I’m gonna come…” Naruto muttered to himself. He was too afraid to even touch the body of the car in fear of leaving a smudge on the shiny coat. He knew he would have to touch her eventually, but he wouldn’t sully the moment. His fingers itched with temptation.

“I tried putting in one of the newly modified engines, but it wouldn’t connect. It’s almost a hundred year old model, after all.” Sasuke said behind him suddenly, making Naruto jump. “I’ve thought about just taking it apart completely and having the body placed around newer designs. A lot of mechanics have suggested that.” He looked at Naruto, his expression aloof. “I wanted to try you as an option first.”

Something snapped inside Naruto. Replace the…replace the inside of the car?! It wouldn’t be a legitimate vintage 1964 ½ Ford Mustang anymore! Maybe Sasuke was more of a moron than he let on when it came to cars.

Naruto faced the other man completely, making sure his displeasure was evident on his face. “You can’t just take a beauty like this and put a whole new engine inside of her! This is a classic, first edition 1964 Mustang!” He took a step forward, the toe of his right shoe stubbing the front of Sasuke’s. They were so close now that Naruto could see the flecks of grey in Sasuke’s irises. “You need the Ford Taunus V4 engine otherwise you might as well just have a dumb replica! You do not want a replica, Sasuke, trust me. The real deal is always the best deal. Embrace what’s in front of you!”

Where this speech was coming from was beyond him, but he didn’t have time to dwell on his own stupidity. He was yanked forward by a hand on the back of his neck, the small distance between them ceasing to exist in a matter of seconds.

At first he wasn’t sure what was happening. Someone was kissing him, and the only other person in the garage with him was Sasuke. So…it was Sasuke kissing him, right? Damn, since when did his brain cells go on vacation from just a mere kiss? It wasn’t even an amazing kiss (he told himself despite his toes curling inside his Nikes). Why was Sasuke kissing him, he didn’t understand.

Sasuke leaned his head back, keeping his hand firmly on Naruto’s neck. He scrutinized Naruto’s face before finally releasing his hold and stepping away.

“That was really random, Sasuke, not gonna lie.” Naruto stated bluntly. He should feel awkward about kissing a guy, let alone his benefactor, but he simply didn’t. It wasn’t as though it felt right, like he had found his soul mate through that kiss and there could be no one else. It was comfortable, though. He wasn’t offended that a gay man just kissed him. It was something he could get used to, honestly, and as much as that should disturb him, it just didn’t. There was no cosmic reasoning behind it; there didn’t need to be any. “But it wasn’t bad.”

Sasuke snorted. “It was just a spur of the moment reaction. It didn’t mean anything.”

Naruto nodded in understanding. He wouldn't lie and say he wasn't just a tiny bit disappointed by Sasuke's aloof attitude about kissing him. He wasn't going to sit around and mope about it, though. “Got it. Now back to the car…”

“Yes, make me a list of things you need and I’ll get them for you.”

“Well for starters,” Naruto began to pace around the room, waving his arms out at the empty walls. “I need shelves, cabinets, one of those metal rolling tool chests. I need to think about the tools I’ll need. I’ll probably have to take the engine apart, so I’m gonna need an engine jack-crane…” He trailed off and turned to look at Sasuke, wondering if he was going too fast for the other man. He cracked a smile at the sight of Sasuke tapping away on his phone, making a list of what he needed. “That’s all I can think of at the top of my head for now.”

“That’s fine.” Sasuke put his phone away in his coat pocket. “If you’d like, I can show you to your room now.”

Naruto tilted his head to stare at the Mustang longingly. He had forgotten it was there for a moment thanks to Sasuke.

The Uchiha caught the look, and he smirked. “It’s not going anywhere. You can visit it whenever you want.”

“Shut up!” Naruto laughed as he followed Sasuke towards the stairs leading out of the garage. It almost felt unreal that he was going to get to work on the car of his dreams. It was right there, in his reach, staying at the same house he was staying in. He glanced at the car one last time before closing the door.

Somehow, he just knew that that Mustang really suited Sasuke Uchiha. It made him feel lonely for some reason.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I want to thank you guys for being so patient with me and sticking around. It means a lot that y'all find me worth the trouble, and I hope that when I can return to writing for everyone - because I enjoy writing for you guys, seriously - no one will be disappointed.
> 
> Thank you. Thank you! Thank you!!!


	2. Part Two

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Naruto and Sasuke take their relationship beyond that of employer and employee.

“Shit…” Heavy pants filled the room. Sweat was beading his brow as he slid into the tight hole. It wasn’t like anything he’d ever felt before. His muscles were straining as he forced himself the rest of the way, mindful not to rip anything. “Almost got it…” he hissed.

Naruto hopped about the room on his left leg, kicking his right leg to get his heel through the cuff of the blue jeans. Jeezus, these were skinny jeans, there was no argument about it! Sasuke had ensured him that these were the only kinds of jeans being sold in this time period. The big fad was form-fitting clothes that showed off people’s curves.

Curves indeed! He eyed the pronounced globes of his ass in the mirror behind him. The material hugged his muscly legs like a second skin, leaving nothing to the imagination. Turning to face the mirror, he tried to find a comfortable position for his dick that didn’t show through the pants. The boxer briefs he was wearing underneath were no better than the snug pants, and his knuckles were red from scraping against the inside of the constricting cloth so much.

He buttoned and zipped the jeans. They weren’t uncomfortable to wear, just a nightmare to get on. He did some test squats and bent over to touch the floor in front of his toes. They were no more constricting than a normal pair of baggy pants, surprisingly. He bent over one more time in the mirror and was satisfied that the hem didn’t ride low and show off his underwear. So they finally got it right in the future. To complete the outfit, he pulled on a soft black shirt that fit like Under Armour.

Naruto glanced over his shoulder at the digital clock on the nightstand next to his king-sized bed, noting that it had taken him almost ten minutes to get those pants on. He looked back at the tall mirror next to the closet one last time, running fingers through his hair as an attempt to comb it.

Smiling to himself, he exited the bedroom and stomped down the stairs that lead to the foyer. The cut glass panes in the front door cast rainbows on the walls and tile floor. Naruto smiled down at the sliver of rainbow light on his chest, walking backwards away from the door to watch it lower on his body until landing on the floor.

He turned abruptly to head to the kitchen, but he ended up bumping into someone. His yelp of surprise echoed in the foyer as he winced at his benefactor. “Uh…” he started lamely. “Morning Sasuke.”

“Uzumaki,” Sasuke supplied as a form of greeting. “Could you refrain from coming down the stairs as though being chased by a herd of cattle?”

Naruto grinned sheepishly while scratching at his cheek. “I can try.” At the roll of Sasuke’s eyes, he knew he was off the hook. He followed the other man into the kitchen, inhaling the scent of bacon and eggs. “Hey, ya know, you can just call me Naruto.”

Sasuke nodded absently. “Yes, I know. Uzumaki comes to mind first when I think of -you.” He returned to the pan on the stove and he turned over several strips of turkey bacon with a fork.

“Well we’re just going to have to change that.” Naruto said, running his fingers over the smooth surface of the counter. He looked up when it got quiet and tilted his head to the left at the look Sasuke was giving him. “What?”

“Hn.” Sasuke returned his attention to the pan. He reached a hand up and opened the cabinet above the stove, pulling out two spice bottles from a selection of many. He tossed in a dash of each seasoning before returning them to the cabinet and closing the door again. “I read your file several times, so I know you’re not allergic to anything.”

Naruto wasn’t sure if he was supposed to respond to that or not. “Oh…okay?”

Something made a sound and Sasuke pulled his phone from his pants pocket. Naruto couldn’t help but glance down at Sasuke’s legs. The Uchiha’s pants were much looser than Naruto’s jeans, but they were also black dress pants. They hugged his rear and thighs but then fell straight at the knees. He forced his eyes up above Sasuke’s waist and watched the man answer an email or text on his phone.

“You’re on your phone a lot. Your bill must be really high.” Naruto grinned, recalling the limited plan he had on his own phone. His old girlfriends had always wanted to text him, but he didn’t have unlimited texting like them so they would get mad when he ignored their pointless messages in favor of replying when it was actually necessary.

Sasuke turned to him, a single eyebrow raised questioningly.

“You know, the company that runs your phone service?”

“That would also be Uchiha Tech.”

“Really? You also own the phone company?”

“Of course. Why would I jeopardize the performance of my products by leaving it up to a middle man? This way if anything goes wrong with the service, we are responsible and can fix it. There’s no passing of the blame baton.” Sasuke turned off the stove and retrieved a couple of plates from a cabinet.

Naruto couldn’t decide if owning the phone company for that particular reason was admirable or stupid. If something happened to Uchiha Tech the people of this era would be fucked, that was for sure.

He smiled at Sasuke when the man held out a plate full of bacon strips and scrambled eggs to him. He took it and sat down on one of the white stools at the counter.

“Toast?”

“Yeah, thanks.”

Sasuke placed slices of white bread in the toaster and they popped right back out only seconds later, a perfect golden brown. He handed one piece to Naruto and then dropped the other on his own plate. He set his food opposite of Naruto’s and leaned against the counter. He provided some napkins from a drawer on his left before taking a strip of bacon and biting off an end delicately.

Naruto’s eyes closed as he savored the flavor of the eggs on his tongue. “Mmm!” he moaned and swallowed his food. “You cook?” he asked before scooping more eggs on his fork.

“You saw me making the breakfast you’re eating.” Sasuke deadpanned. He reached across the counter and picked up a forgotten mug of coffee. He sipped at it then licked his lips.

“I know, I mean, do you cook often?” Naruto tore a piece of bacon in half and ate both ends at once.

Sasuke shrugged, digging around his eggs with his fork. “When I have time.”

Naruto still couldn’t wrap his mind around Sasuke being the CEO of a huge company like Uchiha Tech when the man was slouched over the counter, picking at his food like a kid. He looked so young and vulnerable. Naruto quashed the random impulse to hug the man before him. He had to remind himself of Sasuke’s usual grace, and the authoritative voice he had used over the phone.

Sasuke straightened his back suddenly, as if he had remembered something important. “Your phone and MP3 player arrived this morning.”

“That was fast.” Naruto muttered as he watched Sasuke leave the kitchen to retrieve said items. “I suppose owning the company that makes them has its perks.”

Sasuke returned and placed a touch screen phone (with an orange case at Naruto’s request) and a shorter touch screen with a pair of ear buds wrapped around it. “I took the liberty of transferring your iPod’s files onto that player. I didn’t bother with the data on your old phone, but I did add my cell and work number to the contacts of your new one. You have unlimited access to the web, texting, and minutes.”

The next fifteen minutes were spent with Sasuke showing Naruto how to use each and every function of the two devices. He wouldn’t have to worry about either running out of battery any time soon as charges on each lasted for three days or longer, depending on the amount of usage.

Naruto had to admit, Uchiha Tech products really were the best. People of his time had only dreamed of owning a cell phone such as a Genius. He lifted the phone between them and grinned at Sasuke before snapping a picture of him. The image of an incensed man appeared before him and he marveled at the quality of it. He could zoom in on the shot until Sasuke’s right eye filled the screen and he could see himself reflected in the dark iris.

Sasuke provided him a small, cordless dock with speakers for his player and they brought it down to the garage where cabinets and shelves had been installed overnight. Apparently in this time period no one had to wait around for things to be shipped to their homes. That, or it was Sasuke’s status in the works, getting what he requested at the snap of his fingers.

“Good morning, sweet beauty!” Naruto sang as he approached the car. He smiled down at the polished hood before turning his attention on the new stock.

“I have to leave for work soon,” Sasuke said as Naruto scrutinized all the tools he had requested. “So I hope everything is to your liking.”

Naruto turned from the air compressor he was examining meticulously. It was different from the ones in his time, but nothing he couldn’t figure out with the user manual provided. “Yeah, this is great! Thanks for getting everything together so fast.”

Sasuke nodded and set the MP3 player in the dock on an empty surface of a shelf. “You won’t be completely alone in the house. I have a maid and gardener that stop by every other day, and today is the maid’s turn. My driver is available to you any time, just ask me first.” He turned to Naruto, his face stern and making him appear older. “Just a few rules before I go. The garage is your space. You are free to do whatever in here, so don’t worry if you spill something. However, please keep the mess within the garage, don’t bring your tools upstairs or track anything through the house. Do not go into my bedroom or study, but the rest of the house is opened to you. And lastly, I am the only one who has your number. If your phone rings, you better answer it fast. Got it?”

Naruto blinked several times, feeling like a teenager being instructed in the rules of the house they were babysitting in. Belittled. Nonetheless, he nodded in understanding to Sasuke’s demands. It was the least he could do to remain in such an amazing house during his time working on the car of his dreams.

“There’s plenty of food in the kitchen, but if you’d prefer something else, just call me and I’ll have it delivered to the house. Same thing if you need something for the car.” He ended his speech abruptly when his phone dinged, and he glanced down at it. “My driver is here.” Sasuke was halfway up the stairs before Naruto could register his words. He stopped at the top and rested his hands on the railing, looking at Naruto with a predatory glare. “One more thing…”

Naruto swallowed thickly. He wondered if he looked as small as he felt under Sasuke’s stare. “Yeah?”

“Try not to damage the body of the car at all if you can help it.”

Naruto let out the breath he hadn’t realized he was holding. “You won’t have to worry about that! I’m gonna treat her like she’s my own!”

Sasuke smirked at this before exiting through the door.

Left alone in the garage, Naruto sighed in satisfaction at his current situation. When he had gone to bed the night before, he was sure he’d wake up in his apartment the next morning. Having been frozen for fifty-two years and being bought by some billionaire to work on the car he’d wanted all his life seemed like some lucid dream (not that he wanted to be owned by another person; it just came with the package deal). And yet he had woken up in that amazingly comfortable king-sized bed – how he had managed to drag his body from that plush mattress was a miracle on its own – to the alarm that had been set for him. He had been served breakfast by said billionaire, and now he was left alone with the most gorgeous vehicle he had ever laid eyes on.

Naruto chewed on his bottom lip as he circled around the car. It truly was a sight to behold, and he almost felt unworthy to touch it. Some would say he was being ridiculous, but they didn’t understand the majesty a car possessed to someone who’d been obsessed with them almost all their life. Shaking his head, he converted his mindset to the task at hand.

Sasuke had said it wouldn’t start, but he didn’t give much helpful information beyond that. Figures the guy just had an eye for antiques but not the workings behind them. If the car wasn’t starting then the first thing to check was the battery, though he doubted the other mechanics Sasuke had mentioned hadn’t done that already. Still, he was the “expert,” so it wouldn’t hurt to look again. He smirked at the title Sasuke had given him the day before.

Opening the door, Naruto lowered himself into the driver’s seat. His breath caught in his throat, body vibrating with energy. He scrunched his shoulders up to his ears and snickered in victory. He was actually sitting in the driver’s seat of a vintage Ford Mustang. How cool was that? Practically bouncing in the seat, he placed his hands on the steering wheel, ten to two, just like he learned from his foster father. He turned the large wheel this way and that, relishing in the sound of the front tires sliding in place over the concrete flooring of the garage.

He exhaled deeply in his happiness and leaned back in the seat. He slid his fingers over the steering wheel. Maybe once he got it working he could convince Sasuke to let him test drive her. It sounded like a reasonable request to him. But first he had to get a look inside this beauty.

He popped the hood of the Mustang and practically danced over to the front of the car to see the inside. It was a 1964 ½ model, so the insides had to be at least as old as the car itself. Unless the previous owner had taken good care of it, but if it wasn’t even starting then that couldn’t be the case. Examining the battery, he noticed that the terminal cable connections had been replaced recently, but they were thin compared to the kind he was used to seeing. Someone had tried to put newer car parts in an older car. It should still work, though.

Checking the engine, he groaned at the sight. It was the original mechanism. He wouldn’t be surprised if the spark plugs or some other piece was worn out.

Fuck yeah, he was going to be able to take apart a V4 engine! Could this day get any better?

\---

“God bless the wisdom of officer three! Just give them girls on tramp-o-liiiiinessssss!” Naruto dragged out the last word with his head thrown back. He sat forward again and carefully pulled out the sump and crankshaft, setting them next to the pistons and rings.

He had been hard at work on the engine since that morning, only taking a break to grab an apple and some saltine crackers from the kitchen around noon. He’d only needed to take pictures of the engine with his phone in the first few minutes of the dismantling process so he would know the exact way it had to look when he put it all back together. He had studied all the engines that could be placed inside a 1965 Mustang for when he got his own car, so he could work around a V4 without any need of a guide.

The phone in his pocket began to vibrate and he stood up, wiping his hands on the front of his pants. A new song came blaring over the speakers as he lifted the phone to his ear. “Hello?” he shouted over The Fratellis’s “For the Girl”.  
“Turn down the music.”

Naruto laughed and went over to the MP3 dock, pausing the song.

“Thank you.”

The call ended and Naruto stared at the screen. Realizing the voice had actually been in the room, he turned around and almost jumped at seeing Sasuke staring down at him from the top of the stairs. “Hey, you’re back already?”

“What do you mean already? It’s almost seven.” He nodded his head at the disassembled engine hanging from jack-crane. “You’ve been busy.”

“Oh, well, I think I found the problem. This engine is corroded. I need to replace the sparkplugs, pistons, valves, the sump. Practically gotta start over. Maybe replace the whole thing.” Naruto rubbed his nose with his hand, unknowingly smearing dirt along the underside. He wanted to suggest a V-8 engine, but didn’t want to push his preferences on Sasuke.

“Will it work after all of that?” Sasuke’s eyes roamed over the outline of his car that was covered by a sheet. An expensive silk sheet that had been on the guest room’s bed, last he checked.

Naruto searched for the right words to say. “It might?” He shrugged. “It might not just be the engine. I’ll find out as I move along.”

Sasuke sighed and looked at Naruto, pointing a finger at the car. “That’s from your bed, isn’t it?”

“What’s from whose bed?” a feminine voice inquired. A young woman with short pink hair stepped out from the door leading to the kitchen.

Naruto’s lips quirked as his eyes roamed over the girl’s figure. She had on a black pencil skirt that showed off her shapely calves, and a white blouse and shiny black belt around her waist. Her black suede pumps clicked along the steel steps as she descended into the garage. The closer she got, Naruto noticed she had really pretty green eyes.

“Hi, I’m Sakura, Sasuke’s personal assistant. You’re Naruto, right?” She held out her small hand to him, sweet smile in place.

Naruto glanced down at her hand. He would have to be blind to miss that rock on her finger, even if she wasn’t blatantly showing it off. Obviously his onceover hadn’t gone unnoticed and she was making it clear in the nicest way possible that she wasn’t available. That was fine, he wasn’t interested. He was off girls at the moment. He shook Sakura’s hand firmly. “Naruto Uzumaki. Nice to meet you.”

A giggle bubbled from her throat and she licked her thumb before swiping it over Naruto’s nose, clearing away the dirt. She gave a shrewd smile that didn’t quiet reach her eyes and turned to look at Sasuke who was still at the top of the stairs, watching them with a stiff, unreadable expression. “I can see why you were distracted today.”

Naruto’s face fell, and he glanced between the two. Sasuke was distracted? Had he been worried that Naruto would ruin his car? “Did I do something wrong?”

Sakura laughed and waved her hand dismissively. “No, none of that. Sasuke couldn’t stop thinking about you, that’s all.”

Before he could stop it, a wide grin broke out on his face. It took all his will power to press his lips together, but his cheeks remained flushed. Why was he superbly happy to hear that? It was just utterly flattering to occupy a gay man’s thoughts. He knew he was good-looking; that was what initially drew in all his past girlfriends (not that he was bragging, but – yeah, he was totally bragging).

“Sakura, don’t you have to meet Lee for dinner?” Sasuke asked flatly.

“I can waste a few more minutes here.” Sakura smiled at Naruto. Her teeth were really white, he noted. “So what are you doing here?”

Naruto blinked several times. Did she not know his purpose for being down in the garage? “I’m rebuilding the engine for Sasuke’s Mustang.” He answered her simply.

Sakura walked past him and leaned forward to peer at his progress. “Wow, I think this is the first time I’ve seen a gasoline engine in real life.” She turned to look up at her boss again. “You’re going to have to get fossil fuel specially imported, huh?”

“That’s right.” Sasuke said, keeping his eyes on her.

“What, gas isn’t a common thing anymore?” Naruto knew this day would come eventually.

Sakura extended her arms in front of her, mimicking driving a car. “It’s all electric cars these days. The only time people use fuel is for antique cars such as this one. That’s why they’re not driven on the road. The only purpose they serve is as displays in museums or demol-”

“Sakura, my driver will bring you to your dinner date with Lee now.” Sasuke cut her off in his deep, commanding tone.

Something physically changed in Sakura’s stature, making Naruto do a double take. Before, she was acting casual, speaking to Sasuke like they were old friends rather than employer and employee. Now she was standing at attention and heading towards the stairs as fast as he high heels could carry her. “Mr. Uchiha,” she nodded her head to him respectfully. “It was nice meeting you, Naruto.” Her smile was polite, but nothing more; as though she hadn’t gossiped to Naruto that Sasuke had been thinking about him all day.

She exited the garage and Naruto felt lonely without her bubbly personality. What a depressing way to part after a first encounter, but it just proved to Naruto the kind of power Sasuke had over people with that voice of his. No one dared to defy him, it seemed. His tone seemed to call upon the professional side of Sakura that was his assistant, forcing her to play her role perfectly.

Attempting to lighten the mood, he smiled broadly at Sasuke who had yet to leave his position on the stairs. “She’s cute.”

“Glad you enjoyed her.”

“Does she visit often?”

“Sometimes. She wanted to meet you.” Sasuke finally looked his way for the first time since Sakura came in. He held Naruto’s gaze for several seconds before scoffing. “She’s engaged to her boyfriend of four years, so don’t bother.”

Naruto chuckled. If he didn’t know any better, he’d say Sasuke was acting pissy because he was jealous or something. That simply wasn’t possible, though…right? What could he possibly be envious of? He could have anything he wanted. “I wasn’t thinking anything like that. I’m off women for now. I…” He frowned. “Wow…I was dumped fifty years ago.”

Sasuke raised an eyebrow and corrected him. “Fifty-two years.”

“Ah. Yeah.” Naruto scratched the back of his head. “Well that sucks. She’s gotta be almost seventy by now!”

“Your last girlfriend?” Sasuke rested his elbows on the railing and crossed one leg behind the other, getting comfortable.

“Yeah. Wow, and Sai would be…seventy-four? Geez…”

“Sai?”

He couldn’t explain why, but having Sasuke show an interest in him and his past made Naruto indescribably pleased. So much so that he didn’t think twice before blurting out, “This asshole I worked with at Wal-Mart. The last thing he ever said to me was that I should date guys instead of girls.”

Their eyes locked and Naruto flashed Sasuke a smile. Sasuke averted his gaze to his lax hands with aberrant shyness.

He straightened his posture and pulled out his Genius. “Tell me what parts you need to replace.”

Naruto was caught off-guard by the sudden change in topic, but he didn’t comment on it. He rattled off a list of the worn parts he had pulled off the engine as though he had spent all day rehearsing it. If newer parts didn’t get the engine to work, he would push for a V-8.

He hummed the song by Ludo he had just been singing to before Sasuke and Sakura showed up while the Uchiha’s fingers went to work on the touch screen.

A minute passed and Sasuke put the phone away. “I ordered the parts you need. They’ll be here by tomorrow afternoon. You can stop working for now.”

“Uh…” Naruto stopped himself from arguing. He wasn’t ready to take a break; he had more parts to strip, and he wanted to clean them so he could keep them as collector’s items (if Sasuke would allow it). However, his stomach was on the brink of caving in on itself, and it wasn’t going to let him turn down the offer to stop and eat. He nodded and headed up the steps. Sasuke turned to face him and Naruto slipped his hands into his back pockets. “She’s gonna turn out great, Sasuke. You’ll treat her well after I’m gone, right?”

“Hn.” Sasuke sighed and held open the door to the kitchen for him.

Naruto rolled his eyes. Did it really take that much effort to open his mouth and promise to take care of a car someone was working diligently on to fix? At the rate he was going, he should be finished with the project within a week or so. Already he could taste the bittersweet moment of when he’d have to bid farewell to the only 1964 ½ model left in this era.

He shook his head to rid himself of such gloomy thoughts. Smiling, he spun around and proceeded to walk backwards as he looked at Sasuke. “Hey, we should celebrate!”

Sasuke’s left eyebrow rose in question (he did that a lot, Naruto noted, like it was Sasuke’s favorite eyebrow). “What’s the occasion?”

Naruto shrugged, smile never leaving his face. “I got to work on my favorite car of all time today. Doesn’t that require champagne and the works?”

Before anything else could be said, Sasuke grabbed him by his biceps and tugged him forward. Naruto struggled to catch his footing so that he didn’t end up stumbling into the other man. He squawked in protest when he was suddenly moved to his right and released.

“What the hell are you doing, bastard?” He glared at Sasuke.

“You’re the moron who was about to run into the counter. Walk properly and look where you’re going.” Sasuke folded his arms over his chest. Their close proximity to each other caused his arms to brush Naruto’s chest.

They were so close, how could Naruto not think about kissing him? Sasuke had said their last kiss had meant nothing, and he believed him, but would it still be nothing if they did it again now? He didn’t get a chance to test the theory due to Sasuke stepping around him.

“Are you hungry now?” he inquired.

Naruto’s stomach spoke up first. He laughed sheepishly while patting his flat tummy. “Starving!”

“I’ll make a dinner reservation while you get ready. Wear something nice.” Sasuke pulled out his phone as he spoke.

Naruto’s licked his dry lips and grinned. “Okay! Uh…what’s considered nice these days?”

Sasuke glared at him incredulously. “A suit, moron.”

“Wha- I didn’t know! You don’t have to be an ass!” He stuck his tongue out at him.

Pinching the bridge of his nose, Sasuke closed his eyes and waved away Naruto. “Go take a shower. I’ll pick out a suit for you.” He paused to consider something. “Do you need me to show you how to work the shower again?”

“Nah, I remember from last night. Thanks.” Naruto purposefully stomped up the stairs to the second floor of the house. He hoped the noise irritated Sasuke – not because he wanted to piss off the Uchiha, but because…well, he honestly wasn’t quite sure, but receiving attention was never a bad thing to him. Not that he had to go out of his way to seize Sasuke’s attention. He had been thinking about Naruto all day, according to Sakura. He smiled to himself a little.

It was a good thing Sasuke was gay or Naruto was sure that he and Sakura would be a couple, and that just wouldn’t be fair to the world. They were both such beautiful people…what was Sakura doing working as an assistant? She could be a freakin’ model and instead she was running about, answering to each and every demand Sasuke made. Maybe she made more money working as his assistant than a model did? She obviously liked her job enough to bow under the weight of Sasuke’s do-exactly-as-I-say-or-face-the-dire-consequences voice. After all, they seemed like they were able to get along on friendly terms when they weren’t playing their roles. Perhaps there was some history behind them that Naruto didn’t know about.

Naruto stepped into the bathroom and unseeingly groped the wall for the light switch. For a few moments he stood in the door way with a sense of mystification. He had been expecting to see the bathroom from his old apartment. Over forty hours of living in the future and Naruto still wasn’t used to it. Sure, the idea was accepted within his brain, but that didn’t mean he wasn’t half-assuming reality would come crashing down on him. He had to remind himself that this truly was his life now. Whether or not he was better off with how things were in the past was still undecided by him. He preferred these living conditions over his old ones, that he was certain about.

His shower was quick – it had to be due to a timer that automatically shut off the water after ten minutes – and he wrapped a soft towel around his waist after drying off. He hadn’t considered bringing in a change of clothes before showering, and he didn’t want to put on the ones he had been sweating in all day. He inwardly prayed that Sasuke wouldn’t be in the hallway before making his daring escape to the guest room.

He made it without any confrontation and slammed the door shut behind him. He haphazardly dropped the towel on the arm of a velvet wingback chair as he passed it. Once he had on a pair of clean underwear he went to his bed where an expensive looking suit was laid out neatly. Oddly, he imagined Sasuke wearing it rather than himself. He would look so good in it (probably had worn it in the past); the pants and blazer were black, and folded beside them was a pressed white shirt and a silk grey tie.

Naruto stroked the material with the back of his hand. He had only worn a suit to school dances and a wedding for an old girlfriend’s sister, and the suits had all been either a hand-me-downs or purchased from the goodwill store. As a kid he wished he could dress in a plain black suit like in Men in Black and drive around in a cool car. To think Sasuke was helping him fulfill yet another childhood dream…

Damn, he was really getting attached to the bastard and fast. He had never liked someone like this before. He wouldn’t say he was in love with the bastard, but that familiar fluttering he got in his chest when he desired to get to know a girl better was making itself known. And every time he felt that way it eventually led to him asking the girl out. It had never transpired so quickly till now.

What was happening to him? He’d never even considered men as an option before meeting Sasuke. It was just Sai’s last words getting his head all mixed up, right? If he hadn’t been intrigued by what Sai had said at the time, would Naruto only see Sasuke as another man and nothing more? Or what if he was suffering from some form of Stockholm syndrome, but without the part of being a hostage? While he was dependent on Sasuke, he wasn’t trapped or being forced to stay with him. He wanted to be here, he wanted to work on the car, and he wanted Sasuke to make him those amazing eggs every morning.

He just had to calm down and not obsess over his thoughts. Like that was ever easy. He backed away from the suit and retrieved the towel, bending forward and roughly rubbing it over his wet hair as though attempting to erase his conceptions about Sasuke. He stood up again and shook out his stringy locks. Eventually they would dry to be thick, unmanageable spikes jutting out in all directions.

Sasuke was probably waiting for him, so he got dressed fast. The dress pants hugged his rear and thighs, but were looser around his knees. The skin-tight pants fad must only apply to jeans (thank god). The suit fit him almost perfectly, and he eyed himself in the mirror as he started on the tie. Pausing, he remembered that he didn’t actually know how to tie one. His foster mother or girlfriends would always do that part for him. He considered asking Sasuke for help, but that would involve admitting that he didn’t know how to do something as simple as tying a tie. He didn’t want the bastard to think of him as some low class idiot who couldn’t do anything beyond fixing cars. He would just have to do it on his own with the best of his abilities. If he could rebuild an entire car engine then he could figure this out.

He sighed at the ending result. He was pretty sure the skinny part of the tie wasn’t supposed to be longer…or in the front…or that the seam was supposed to be showing. Maybe no one would notice. He buttoned up the three buttons on the jacket and tucked the disaster of a tie underneath it. He put on the black leather ankle boots that zipped up on the inside. A little narrow, but they still fit.

One last look in the mirror and Naruto had to admit that he looked like one handsome devil. He wouldn’t be surprised if the women of the future began flocking to him on sight. Smirking seductively at his reflection, he laughed and headed downstairs. A noise coming from the kitchen alerted him of Sasuke’s whereabouts and he strolled in with a grin on his face.

It fell immediately. Damn it, if he believed that he looked irresistibly good then Sasuke transcended human capability of the term. Wasn’t it supposed to be physically impossible for someone to be so attractive without the help of Photoshop or movie make-up or something?

Sasuke was standing at the kitchen counter with one of his company’s tablets, attentively reading whatever was on the screen. His black blazer was draped over the counter in front of him, leaving him in black slacks and a white shirt that was buttoned up to the neck. A bright red tie disappeared beneath a snug black vest that showed off Sasuke’s slim waist.

Naruto supposed that he couldn’t get too hung over the fact that Sasuke looked better in a suit than him. The guy wore one every day, so he knew how to work them better. Now that he thought about it, Naruto had yet to see Sasuke in something other than a suit. Sure, he’d only been living with Sasuke for almost two days, but even when they came home yesterday Sasuke remained in his suit all evening until Naruto went to bed. Did he not have any other clothes? Perhaps the ones he gave Naruto were the only casual clothes he had and now all that was left were dress clothes.

Deciding that none of that was important, Naruto cleared his throat to announce his presence to the other man.

Black eyes peered up from the tablet and Sasuke straightened, openly taking in Naruto’s appearance. The corner of his lips quirked upwards briefly. “Come here.” He beckoned for Naruto with a long finger.

Naruto stepped forward until he was in front of Sasuke, the other turning to face him. He swallowed, feeling nervous under the man’s gaze. He had felt like hot shit while upstairs, but now he was just…well, ordinary shit, to put it bluntly.  
His breath caught when pale hands suddenly pulled out his tie. Of course Sasuke would notice.

Sasuke’s eyes followed his own movements. He flipped up Naruto’s shirt collar and twisted the tie so that the seam was on the inside. After tying it loosely, he set the collar right again, smoothing the blazer around it. He slid the knot of the tie up to the nook that the lapel provided. Before stepping away, he reached down and undid the last button of the coat. He examined his touch ups with a satisfied smirk. “You look good,” He met Naruto’s gaze. “Very good.”

Naruto couldn’t have stopped his cheeks from flushing even if he tried. He scratched at the back of his head, immediately pulling his hand away when he remembered his hair was still damp.

“Just one more thing…” Sasuke said, and he was in Naruto’s space again. He worked his fingers through blond tresses as if determined to make them abide by his will.

Sasuke’s breath warmed his cheek, and Naruto picked up on the scent of alcohol. “You’ve been drinking?”

“A little,” Sasuke answered offhandedly. He forced Naruto to look down so he get to the back of his head. “Would you like some?”

“I’m still underage, technically, but sure.” Naruto’s voice was deeper from his chin pressed into his collarbone.

“You’re twenty, right? Look up.” He didn’t wait for Naruto to listen and forced his head up, holding his cheeks and turning his head left and right. “The legal drinking age is twenty.”

Naruto was only vaguely aware of what Sasuke was saying. “‘s that so?” His voice was just above a whisper. “Back in my day it was twenty-one.”

Sasuke stared at him. Suddenly he smirked. “Why do I get the feeling that that never stopped you before?”

Naruto grinned, a strange sense of nostalgia clouding his brain. This felt so right, standing with Sasuke in the kitchen while the man’s hands caressed his rosy cheeks, talking as though they were old friends. “What can I say? I was a bit of a bad boy in my time.”

“I can only imagine.” Sasuke moved away and went to a cabinet beneath the counter near the sink. He pulled out a glass bottle of whiskey, setting it on the counter between them. “You’ll like that,” he said as he pulled out a couple of crystal drinking glasses from another cupboard. “It’s Maker’s Mark from 2005.”

“Wow.” Naruto lifted the bottle in his hands and examined the bottle. “I used to swipe some of this from my foster dad’s liquor cabinet. He liked that one with honey in it.”

Sasuke made a face as he took the canteen from Naruto’s hands.

“What?”

“Nothing, I didn’t say anything.” He poured a little over two ounces in each glass and recapped the whiskey.

“Yeah, but you made a face.” Naruto took the glass offered to him. “You don’t like the honey whiskey or something?”

Sasuke shrugged his right shoulder. “I don’t really like sweet things.”

“It’s not that sweet.”

“It is to me.”

“Then your taste buds are too sensitive.”

“Shut up and drink.” Sasuke lifted his own glass to his lips.

Naruto knocked back the entire contents of the glass and instantly regretted that. His eyes watered as he slammed the side of his fist against the counter.

Sasuke lowered his glass without taking a sip. He watched the red faced man before him with an amused smirk. “Not your brightest idea.”

“Sshhhh-shut up…” Naruto bit out through the burning in his throat.

Sasuke snorted and pulled out a bottle of water from the fridge. He placed it in front of Naruto and waited while the other man chugged it in thick gulps. “I hope you learned your lesson.”

Naruto rolled his eyes. He licked his lips and said, “Give me another.”

“Calm down and drink some more water, idiot.” Sasuke poured less than before in his glass. He sipped at his own whiskey while Naruto switched between his glass and the water bottle. Sasuke checked the time on his phone and gulped down the remainder of his liquor. He sighed, closing his eyes to the mild burning in his throat. “Our reservation is in twenty minutes.”

Naruto looked up quickly. He had almost forgotten that they were going out to dinner. “Oh, should we get going?”

“It’s only a fifteen minute drive. My driver will be here in a couple of minutes.” Sasuke poured himself another glass and offered some more to Naruto, but he declined. He put the whiskey away before quickly finishing his drink.

“Why is your driver taking us? Don’t you ever drive yourself anywhere?” Naruto emptied the water bottle and Sasuke took it and his empty glass. He tossed the bottle into a pullout trashcan and rinsed out the glasses in the sink.

“I drive when I want to. Sometimes I need to get things done on the way somewhere, and that’s when my driver comes into play.”

He said it so matter-of-factly that Naruto almost didn’t want to argue. “But we’re just going to some restaurant. What could you possibly have to do during a fifteen minute drive? You’re not going to ignore me and work on company related things, are you?”

Sasuke raised an eyebrow and smirked at Naruto, leaning over the counter that separated them. “Would you be upset if I ignored you for work purposes?”

Naruto let a goofy smile slip and he also leaned on his elbows, his face coming within inches of Sasuke’s. He felt giddy suddenly, and he knew it was from taking in the alcohol so quickly. He could tell Sasuke was also feeling the effects; after all, he had been drinking before Naruto even came downstairs, and he’d had two more afterwards. “I would.”

“Well lucky you. I don’t bring my work home with me.” He glanced down at Naruto’s lips then quickly looked back up.

“Then why the driver?” Naruto pressed his lips into a thin line, anticipating Sasuke’s next move after a look like that. That meant he wanted to kiss Naruto, right? He was pretty sure the signs were the same when it came to guys and girls. Crap, he hadn’t waned to think about that anymore tonight.

Sasuke’s eyelids lowered, and he appeared bored (or maybe just tired). “I’ve been drinking, moron. You’ve been drinking. I don’t plan on stopping so soon.”

Naruto smiled crookedly. “Okay, but you gotta slow down. No more hard liquor tonight.”

“Right,” Sasuke shrugged. “I’ll just pace myself. What kind of wine should I order? White or red?”

“Huh?” Naruto bowed his head at a sudden wave of dizziness. His head felt too heavy for his neck to carry. He collected his thoughts, ignoring the questioning stare directed at him. “Um, I’ve never had wine before. Just champagne.”

“Right, you said you wanted champagne for taking apart a car engine.” Sasuke said, his tone pensive.

Naruto slanted his head to the right. “You don’t think that requires champagne?”

“More like a beer.” Sasuke confirmed. His smirk was the only indication that he was making a joke.

“Well…fuck you, then.”

Sasuke snorted. His phone made a sound and he stood straight, Naruto doing the same. Checking his phone, he made a sound of acknowledgment. “Car’s here.” He picked up his blazer and pulled it on. Stepping up to Naruto, he turned him around and guided him out of the house with a hand on the small of his back.

Naruto was clumsy in sliding into the car while Sasuke, despite the alcohol in his system, got in his seat with as much grace as he did while sober. “Where are we going?” he asked when the car pulled away from the front of the house.

“Commander’s Palace.” Sasuke said. He leaned back in the seat and sighed.

Naruto’s eyes widened comically. “Commander’s Palace? The Commander’s Palace? In the Garden District?”

“The very one.” Sasuke said quietly, contrasting Naruto’s excitement.

Naruto eyed him carefully. “Are you going to fall asleep ‘cause you’re drunk?”

“I am not drunk, Naruto.”

The fluttering in his chest intensified at the sound of his name coming from the other man. He tried to swallow down his delight, but it was proving useless. He really liked this buzzed side of Sasuke; he wasn’t as stand offish and, as humoring as the notion was, his orientation was a bit more obvious. Not that he was acting gay, but the way he subtly looked at Naruto would make any girl jump in his bed willingly (not that he needed to give them a look to get their consent…or that he would even look at a girl anyway). It made Naruto wonder if that kiss really was nothing to Sasuke.

The car ride to the restaurant passed in silence, and at one point Naruto presumed Sasuke had actually fallen asleep, but when he looked over the man was staring straight ahead with an impassive expression. When the car pulled up to the curb, Sasuke got out quickly as though he were eager to be seated. Naruto was right behind him.

“It’s exactly the same…” Naruto breathed out as he took in the old Victorian style building that had blue and white stripped awnings hanging down from the overhang. People were bustling about on the sidewalk and Sasuke pulled him into the establishment.

The host recognized Sasuke immediately, and he led them through the restaurant. Naruto ignored the stares that followed the CEO; it was easy when he was ogling all the skintight dresses and skirts that the women were wearing. If there was ever a heaven…well, this wouldn’t exactly be his, but he wouldn’t completely object to having a couple of girls dressed like that walking around while he fixed cars.

So caught up in his own mind, Naruto let out an inaudible gasp when his left arm was pulled on sharply and Sasuke led him to a corner booth where the host was waiting for them to take their seats. He pulled his arm free of Sasuke’s hold, embarrassed to be dragged around like a kid in public. He slid into the booth, with less poise as Sasuke despite how much effort he put into it, and settled on the cushioned seat while a young waiter replaced their host and recited the specials for dinner and house wines.

“You don’t know what kind of wine you like, correct?” Sasuke asked him, and Naruto could have sworn his tone was flirtatious.

“No.” Naruto’s eyes flicked to the waiter to see if he was being judged, but the young man’s gaze was glued on Sasuke. Was he interested in Sasuke? He supposed it was exciting to be serving someone as important as the CEO of Uchiha Tech, but there wasn’t just admiration in those eyes. It was far more tenacious.

Sasuke turned to the waiter with a slight smirk, and the waiter appeared all too zealous to listen to what Sasuke had to say. “We’ll take a bottle of the Cabernet Sauvignon, and for an appetizer, The Pig and the Peach.”

The waiter nearly sighed at the deep timbre Sasuke’s voice had taken on to order. His eyes and smile completely disregarded Naruto, and he left to place their order in the kitchen.

Naruto took the time to look around the vast room. They were on the opposite wall of the large windows where oak trees were lit up by spotlights outside. Their booth gave them the perfect view of all the other patrons in the room while also offering them enough privacy for an intimate dinner. Naruto liked that. It was bad enough that they had that drooling kid for a waiter; he didn’t need other people watching Sasuke. Did he sound jealous just then?

“You’re frowning.” Sasuke stated before taking a sip of icy water that the waiter had poured for them when he first arrived. “Do you have something against pigs and peaches?”

Naruto snorted under his breath. The question wasn’t as funny as the sound of it coming out of someone like Sasuke’s mouth. He raised his brows and looked at Sasuke. “You were flirting with the waiter.”

Sasuke leaned back in the booth. “I wasn’t aware that I couldn’t flirt in your presence.”

Naruto was about to deny ever suggesting that, but the waiter returned and showed a bottle of wine marked from 2040. Sasuke nodded and the waiter deftly opened the bottle and poured a smidge into Sasuke’s glass. Sasuke sipped at it before making a sound of appreciation and swigging back the rest in the glass.

Naruto glanced at the waiter staring at the raven-haired man and grinned impishly. Running a hand up Sasuke’s arm and gripping his shoulder, he waited for Sasuke to trace his gaze up Naruto’s arm before meeting his eyes. “Dear, remember you’re supposed to take it easy tonight. I don’t want you to drink so much that you can’t get it up in bed later.”

Sasuke licked his lips slowly as he stared at Naruto while the waiter poured them each a glass. He corked the bottle and left on the table, leaving hurriedly. He obviously felt dejected, and Sasuke thought so too. “You’re terrible.”

“You were flirting.” Naruto said and lifted his wine glass to his lips.

“Only because that’s what he wanted.” Sasuke said matter-of-factly. “Are you jealous?”

Naruto glared at him over the rim of his glass as he took a large gulp of wine. It was better than he had expected it to be, but he had a feeling that Sasuke had known what to get so he would like it.

Sasuke took his silence as tacit compliance and he unraveled his cloth napkin, pressing it over his lap. He looked at Naruto expectantly, obviously wanting him to do the same. “Haven’t you ever been to a restaurant like this before?”

If he was making a joke on Naruto’s social status back in his time, Naruto wasn’t going to rise to the bait. “I went to Brennan’s for a rehearsal dinner once. My girlfriend at the time’s older sister was getting married. We got to meet Chef Lazone Randolph and take a picture with him.”

He sighed deeply and looked down at the wine in his glass. That girlfriend in particular had been different from the rest. The reason she broke up with him was because she was moving to North Carolina. A shame, really; she was beautiful, she came from a family that had money so she didn’t expect Naruto to buy her things, and she didn’t mind driving for all their dates. What was her name again? Tenten? Yeah, that was it.

“Do you miss all your girlfriends from your time?”

Naruto started at the question, and he set his glass on the table while looking at Sasuke. The waiter brought their appetizer and Sasuke waved him away when he asked if they were ready to order from the menu. He didn’t even spare the young man a glance, his gaze boring into Naruto.

Naruto shrugged his shoulders, not quite certain on what Sasuke wanted him to say in that moment. He was staring with such intensity that it seemed like whatever Naruto said would be taken to heart. Honesty was always his policy, so why change that now? “I have some good memories with all of them, but they just never seemed to accept the real me.” He smiled to himself. “Not like you, Sasuke. You get it even though you don’t say it out loud. I can tell by the way you care about the car. I feel connected to you. And you own the car of my dreams, so I already want to bed you.”

Sasuke’s eyes dilated. “Excuse me?”

Naruto reeled over his words and let out a laugh of surprise. He reached for the appetizer, Abita root beer braised pork belly with summer peaches, and said, “Oh, that’s just a phrase I use when I love something.”

“You love me?” There was that intensity again.

“What?” Naruto resisted grabbing his glass and chugging down his wine. “I mean…you’re a great guy for getting me out of the cryogenics lab…and we kissed that one time…” He shook off that trail of thought. “But love is…”

“Sir, are you and your guest ready to order?” the waiter asked snidely as he approached the booth.

Both Sasuke and Naruto scowled at him. Sasuke took the untouched menu from in front of Naruto and stacked it with his own. He held them out to the impatient man and said, “We’ll both have the grilled black angus filet mignon.”

The waiter left and Naruto snickered. “I think you upset him because you’re ignoring him.”

Sasuke hummed and sipped his wine. “He’s simply jealous. And why shouldn’t he be? I’m dining with a handsome man.”

“And now you’re flirting with me? You’re quite the player.”

“I flirt with the waiter and you get jealous. I flirt with you and I’m a player. There is no pleasing you, is there?” Sasuke sighed and drank some more.

Naruto stifled his laughter. He really did like Sasuke buzzed. The man was entertaining. “That’s not true, I’m actually very easy to please.”

Sasuke arched an eyebrow. “Don’t say that.” He refilled his glass and took a long gulp (was it just Naruto, or was Sasuke drinking a lot tonight?) before looking pointedly at Naruto. “You should never give all your cards away. You have to put up a chase or a guy will lose interest.”

Naruto considered calling him out on the suggestion that he was gay, but at the same time could he deny it? He hadn’t exactly been having mere friendly notions about Sasuke while getting dressed just an hour ago. Not that they were perverse, but wanting to date him still left Naruto’s heart pounding and palms sweating. “Something tells me you’re plenty interested.”

Sasuke tipped his head at Naruto’s muttered words, but refrained from commenting. They finished the appetizer together before their entrees arrived. The red wine complimented the filet mignon perfectly; Sasuke knew just what to order from the moment he had placed the reservation, obviously.

They went through several topics of conversation throughout dinner, covering their free time spent during high school, how Naruto became interested in cars in the first place, how Sasuke had acquired the car, the background between Sasuke and Sakura (they had actually gone to high school and college together), and even the music Naruto listened to that Sasuke now considered oldies. Finally, they reached the subject of family and how Sasuke obtained the position of CEO of Uchiha Tech.

“Well, my father retired early eight years ago and the company was supposed to go to my older brother Itachi.” Sasuke explained. He removed his forearms from the table when a busboy came by to clear the table. He ordered a new bottle of wine as they finished off their first one.

“Why did that change?” Naruto stared at him in interest.

Sasuke, who was far looser after his third glass of wine, slouched back in the cushions of the booth. He glared blearily at his wine glass, though his voice was steady, if not slightly husky. “He didn’t want to take on the family business. He has a wife and daughter now, so…”

“That’s understandable,” Naruto said. Sasuke glared at him and he quickly corrected himself. “I mean, that sucks, though, that you were forced to take his place. You were only seventeen, right?” He hoped he had done the math right.

Sasuke shrugged and took a quick sip of his drink. “I wasn’t forced, in all honesty. If you were given the chance to make important decisions, would you take it?”

Naruto recalled when he had decided to apply for the vaccines scam. While the big push was the money, he probably would have volunteered for free just to know that he was helping his country. Would he have still done it if he had gone in knowing he’d be cryogenically frozen for fifty-two years? If he had assumed he’d be helping people, than yes, he probably would have gone willingly. “Yeah.”

Sasuke raised a hand as if to say ‘see?’ “So I took on the position. It was tough at first. I was still a college student, but I managed to get through the first year and then presented the idea for the Genius in my second. It’s been smooth sailing since then. If I could do things over, though…”

Somehow Naruto knew where he was going. “You would have stayed a teenager?”

“Well…yes, something like that.”

“What am I missing? You would have…done more spelling bees? Gone to house parties? Slept around with more guys?” Naruto teased.

Sasuke smirked and sat up. “Quite the opposite on that last one.”

Naruto didn’t know if he liked the sound of that. He would have never met Sasuke on normal circumstances, so he had no right to feel jealous of other guys that Sasuke had dated in the past. Besides, Naruto had been with his fair share of women. If anything they were in the same boat, just coming at each other from different ends of the playing field. Desperate to derail his thoughts, he turned in his seat so that his shoulder rested against backrest of the booth. “Do you keep in touch with your family?”

Sasuke seemed surprised by the question. “Of course. My mother calls often, my father checks in on the company. My brother likes to invite me over to his place for dinner, but I haven’t had to time go see them this month.”

“How old is his daughter? What’s her name?”

A smirk – it could almost be classified as a smile if it wasn’t so lopsided – stretched across Sasuke’s thin lips. “Her name is Hotaru, and she turned nine last June.”

“Do you ever babysit her?” Naruto asked animatedly. The idea of Sasuke taking care of a child made Naruto’s stomach do flips all over the place. He couldn’t place why, but Sasuke being a dad was…sexy.

“I have in the past,” Sasuke said, unaware of Naruto’s inner mind workings. “I haven’t recently. She’s getting to the age where we disagree on what’s considered good TV.”

Naruto’s laughter caught the attention of several other tables, and he covered his mouth to muffle his guffawing. Sasuke seemed pleased with himself for making Naruto laugh so loud. Calming down, Naruto sighed in contentment and grinned at Sasuke.

A silence enveloped them, but for once it was completely comfortable. Naruto could stay wrapped inside this moment with Sasuke forever. If Sasuke was a girl, he would probably take this chance to kiss him. He didn’t know what was stopping him, and he wasn’t going to sit around and figure it out.

He licked his lips to moisten them and leaned an inch forward. Sasuke watched him with an impassive expression.

Their waiter decided to make an appearance at that moment, and Naruto practically fell back into his seat. “Will you be ordering desert?” he asked through a forced smile.

Naruto contemplated making him list off the entire desert menu to them, but he didn’t want to come off as childish in front of Sasuke. “I’m good.”

“No thank you. We’ll take the check, please.” Sasuke said in his business tone that had Naruto relaxing in his seat.

Naruto watched with interest as the waiter pulled out a tablet from the front pocket of his apron and sent the bill to Sasuke’s phone. Sasuke paid for their meal with disinterest before putting his phone away.

Before they got up, the waiter asked, “Sir, would you like complementary pleasantries to take with you tonight?”

Sasuke smirked and glanced at Naruto briefly. He waved his hand dismissively. “No thank you, he’s just a friend.”

Naruto bit the inside of his cheeks at this. If only he had kissed Sasuke before…wait, what was the man even offering? The waiter nodded and left them with their unopened bottle of Cabernet Sauvignon. “What was that about?”

Sasuke shrugged and helped Naruto out of the booth. “Condoms and lube.”

“Huh?”

“They offer condoms and packets of lubricant to patrons before they leave. Almost every high end restaurant does it these days.”

“Wha…since when?” Naruto peered at the other tables they passed as Sasuke spoke, wondering if they were appalled by the topic of conversation. No one seemed to be paying any attention.

“Since gay rights became legalized in 2015.”

Naruto gave pause at that, but then a smile split his face. So it finally happened. This truly was a great era to live in.

\---

“I want to see the car.”

They had returned to the house and were in the living room where Sasuke was explaining an abstract water color painting. It looked like nothing but blurry shapes to Naruto until Sasuke pointed out a pair of hands coming out from the bottom to grip an erect penis while another penis was being jerked off and another being sucked. Oddly, Naruto wasn’t the least bit disturbed by the art blatantly displayed for anyone to see. He vaguely wondered if Sasuke’s niece knew what this painting was about; he doubted it.

After putting the wine from Commander’s Palace away in the racks in the large pantry, Sasuke had actually brought out a chilled bottle of champagne he’d left in the fridge while they were at the restaurant. They were gingerly sipping at the bubbly drink, both of them trying to remain on a steady buzz without going over the edge. Naruto especially wanted to keep his wits about him.

Sasuke, despite having taken in more alcohol than Naruto, was handling himself quite well. His eyelids would droop, or his gaze would become unfocused for a couple of seconds. Other than that, he was proving to be a durable drinker. However, he often blurted out random urges, such as the one just now.

Naruto looked at him, eyebrows disappearing behind his bangs. He swayed back and forth on his feet. “Right now?”

“Yes, now. It’s my car, I can see it when I want.” Sasuke narrowed his eyes.

“Well, then by all means.” Naruto shrugged. “I mean, there’s nothing different about it. Just the engine is missing.”

Sasuke led the way down to the garage. He looked at the outline of the Mustang covered by the sheet as though he didn’t recognize what was under it, but he said nothing. He stepped up to the stripped engine dangling from the crane. “Why won’t you work?” he asked it.

Naruto snorted and sat on the hood of the car. He had to plant his boots on the floor so he didn’t slide on the silk sheet covering. “I told you that the engine is corroded. But it could be a whole bunch of other things. Like…like the carburetor or the battery.”

“What does the carburetor do?” Sasuke continued to inspect the exposed inside of the engine.

“It blends air and fuel.” Pausing, he reconsidered his answer. “Okay, so the faster air moves, the lower its static pressure, and the higher its dynamic pressure. The throttle linkage doesn’t directly control the flow of liquid fuel. It actuates the carburetor mechanisms, which meter the flow of air being pulled into the engine. The speed of this flow, and therefore its pressure, determines the amount of fuel drawn into the airstream.” The natural high Naruto got from talking about cars faded with the end of his explanation. Seeing Sasuke’s attentive mien rather than the vacant stare he was used to receiving made the fluttering worse. Sasuke returned to the engine once more and Naruto was left to grin goofily at his lap.

He scratched at a spot on his wrist, glad that he had rolled up his sleeves to his elbows. Sasuke had done the same, and it was officially the most casual Naruto had ever seen him – especially since they had ditched their ties upstairs.  
His gaze lowered on Sasuke’s backside before he could stop himself. “What’s it like to be with a guy?” he blurted out without thinking.

Sasuke’s head lifted to attention. He turned to face Naruto, his visage openly expressing just how taken back he was by the question. He opened his mouth, then shut it. He appeared to be mulling over the question, desperate to answer it right. “Probably what it’s like to be with a girl.”

Naruto frowned. He had been hoping for a better answer. “Yeah, well all those relationships have turned out to be shitty.”

“So you think being with a man will fix everything? You’re not gay, Naruto.” Sasuke’s tone grew deep suddenly. Was it just Naruto or did he actually seem to be getting angry?

“I know, but if I found the right guy…?” He left the end off as a question in anticipation that Sasuke would give him a definite answer.

Sasuke stared at him for a good while and shrugged. “I don’t think it works that way.”

“How would you know?”

“I don’t.”

Naruto was getting annoyed. Sasuke was usually so definite with his words, but now he was suddenly uncertain about everything? It was pissing Naruto off, but then again, he got easily irritated when he was drinking. “So if you got sick of dating men, you wouldn’t consider going after women?”

“You think I didn’t try to convince myself that I liked women at first?” Sasuke asked gruffly. “There’s just something about…vaginas.”

The way Sasuke said the word, spitting it out like it was bile, made Naruto chuckle. “Vaginas?”

“They’re weird…all that extra skin.” Sasuke scrunched up his face in displeasure. “What’s it for?”

“Don’t they teach you that stuff in Biology class?”

“I don’t remember anything from that class.”

“Neither do I,” He exhaled and looked at Sasuke. “I just want to try it.”

“Try what?”

“You know…being with a guy.”

Sasuke straightened his shoulder and he suddenly appeared much sober than before, leading Naruto to wonder if perhaps he’d been acting buzzed all this time. He glared at the blond-haired man sitting on the car hood. “Stop.”

“Stop what? I’m being serious.”

“You don’t know what you’re asking for.”

“I’m not selling my soul here, Sasuke.” He rolled his eyes. “Like you said, it’s no different than being with a girl, right?”

“The relationship part isn’t, sure. But other things come with dating.”

“I know, I’ve been down that road. I’m willing to go all the way.” Naruto eyed Sasuke earnestly.

“Naruto…” Sasuke stared at him for the longest time that Naruto was sure he was about to reject him. He crossed the space between them and stood before Naruto, keeping a steady gaze with him. He placed both hands on the hood of car, either side of Naruto’s thighs.

Naruto allowed his eyes to slide shut, anticipating a kiss. He wasn’t sure why he was standing by and waiting for it. He didn’t want to scare off Sasuke by being too forward. If he changed his mind now...

Instead of kissing him, Sasuke pressed his forehead into Naruto’s chest. “You are a moron.”

Naruto grinned. He wondered if Sasuke could hear his pounding heart (probably). “Yeah, but you want me.”

“Who ever said that?”

Naruto could think of several instances tonight when Sasuke had made his attraction evident, but he didn’t voice any of them.

Sasuke raised his head so they were eye level. His face was strained. “You’re going to regret this.”

“You don’t know that, you’re not psychic.”

Sasuke closed his eyes and exhaled heavily.

Naruto smiled a little. “Hey, shouldn’t I be the nervous one? I’m about to pull a one-eighty on my sexuality here.”

“I’m not nervous…I’m just…nevermind. We’ll see how this goes.” Sasuke gave him a meaningful look.

“Okay.”

Sasuke bowed his head in a curt nod. He wet his lips and leaned forward, Naruto meeting him halfway. They remained there, mouths pressed together while they held their breaths. Seconds past and Sasuke’s shoulders relaxed. He changed the angle of the kiss, his raring moan making both their lips vibrate pleasantly.

Naruto opened his mouth so that he could suck in and tease Sasuke’s bottom lip. Kissing a man had only a few noticeable variances – there were probably more, but his alcohol induced brain wasn’t giving him a chance to make a list on similarities and differences. One thing that had Naruto confused was where to put his hands. If he put them on Sasuke’s hips, they’d be narrow; his waist wouldn’t have a sensual curve, and he had no breasts to massage. Sasuke probably wouldn’t appreciate it if Naruto went straight for grabbing his ass, and wrapping his arms around Sasuke’s neck felt like a girlish thing to do on his part. He settled for hugging Sasuke around the middle.

He moaned when Sasuke’s fingers threaded through his hair and massaged his scalp. He sighed and released Sasuke’s lip that he had been mindlessly sucking on. Their mouths melded together and he groaned again at Sasuke’s skilled fingers. They were at the base of his skull now, scratching his scalp with blunt nails. Sasuke didn’t try to stick his tongue in Naruto’s mouth, which he was grateful for because that was his least favorite part of kissing.

Sasuke rested his entire bodyweight on Naruto, forcing him to lie back on the hood of the car. He lightly pulled on Naruto’s hair while nipping and tugging on Naruto’s lips.

Naruto rolled his hips at the attentions, biting back what he was sure to be a whimper. The instant his pelvis left the car to meet Sasuke’s he found one of the upsides of being with another man. They were both straining against the inside of their pants, and that little movement to rub against each other brought a sigh of relief from deep within.

Naruto looked at Sasuke and saw there was hesitance to go on, like he thought humping each other would scare Naruto and make him run the other way or something. He would just have to prove to Sasuke that he wasn’t going anywhere anytime soon. He dipped his fingers beneath the waistline of Sasuke’s pants, pressing his lower back flush against him so that he could grind against him with more accuracy. The friction was ungodly, and soon they couldn’t keep their lips together in favor of pulling air into their lungs.

Harsh panting was the only sound in the garage as they worked together to bring some kind of comfort to their situations. Naruto was fervently attempting to rub through the material of their pants. He pressed his mouth to Sasuke’s to try and convey to him just how good it felt without words; a desperate kiss full of growing need, anything to get him to understand.

No more than a couple of minutes could have passed before Sasuke forced them to break the kiss suddenly. A loud, sharp gasp tore from his throat and in that instant Naruto feared he had hurt him. Sasuke’s hips pressed forward into Naruto’s, pinning him to the car, and he shuddered violently on top of him.

Naruto stared up at the twenty-four foot ceiling of the garage, eyes wide with bewilderment. Did something bad just happen? Sasuke wasn’t in pain, was he? He slowly became aware of increasing warmth between them where the tingling in his flesh had lessened, and realization struck him.

Oh. Sasuke just blew his load.

“Uh…” Naruto felt awkward. What was he supposed to say? “Did you just- uh, that was because of the alcohol, right?” Had it really been that good for him? They had only been grinding for about three minutes.

Sasuke pushed himself up off the car roughly and Naruto winced in pain. He ran a hand through his bangs, clearing them out of the way to reveal his flushed and aggravated visage. “Go ahead and make fun of me. Sasuke Uchiha, CEO of Uchiha Tech and laughing stock of the gay community because he can’t keep his boner in check.”

Naruto’s eyebrows rose high on his forehead. “I wasn’t gonna make fun of you.”

“Shut up.”

“I wasn’t!”

Sasuke glared at him threateningly.

It occurred to Naruto that this was possibly what Sasuke had been nervous about before. He had wanted Naruto, wanted to do this with him, but he hadn’t wanted to reveal such a humiliating secret about himself. Naruto could understand why Sasuke would be so embarrassed. Not only did it just suck, but to have it while being such an important figure head in this time period…it was almost so obvious now why Sasuke conducted himself the way he did. If he couldn’t perform the way he wanted in bed then the least he could do was look and act the part.

Naruto rolled his eyes and pushed himself up to a sitting position. “Sasuke, I’ve never been with a guy before,” he said in exasperation. “I’m sure there are lots of differences. But premature ejaculation is a problem any guy can have, gay or straight. We can easily work through this. What have your past boyfriends done to help?”

Sasuke scoffed disdainfully. “Help? They all leave me while laughing their asses off. No one wants to date a spaz.”

He tilted his head at Sasuke’s words and frowned. “A spaz? Is that what they call people who come to early?” He approached the sulking man. “They’re assholes, okay? If they had just stayed with you, they would see that you are a completely capable lover.”

Sasuke continued to glare.

Naruto sighed. Why couldn’t the bastard just relax and move on from this? Naruto wasn’t making fun of him and they had something good going. Please…he didn’t want it to end here. He didn’t want to think about what could have been. “I’m willing to give us a shot if you are.”

Sasuke’s brow smoothed, and the crease between his eyebrows cleared. “How are you able to remain so positive all the time?” He sounded tired, like the alcohol was finally getting to him. “The year you’re from was in a downwards spiral recession and filled with gullible, stupid people. How are you the way you are?”

“The way I am…?” Naruto tried to recall if he was ever personally affected, but all he could think about was gas prices. He never owned a car of his own (mostly because he had been saving up for his own Mustang), so that was never a problem for him. “The recession really wasn’t that bad. We-”

“No, it was.” Sasuke deadpanned. “You were wise to seek out cryogenics when you did. It got much worse.”

Naruto recalled that the five hundred dollars he was promised was knocked down to a measly five dollars. The lone bill was still sitting on the nightstand in the guest bedroom. But something else about what Sasuke had said bothered him. Sasuke believed Naruto had sought out being cryogenically frozen when in reality he’d had no idea that he would be drugged and stuck inside an ice box.

He was about to relay this information on Sasuke when suddenly a hand stroked his cheek, and then threaded through his hair. He leaned into the touch.

“You still think I’m worth something even though I can’t perform properly. What a gentleman.” Sasuke tucked a piece of hair behind his ear.

Naruto grinned wide and jokingly said, “Can’t really call me a gentleman when I’m planning on fucking you.”

He almost laughed out loud at the expression Sasuke made. The Uchiha pushed him back at arm’s length and eyed him warily. “I don’t bottom.”

Naruto’s smile fell. “What? Sasuke, I’ve never done this before. You can’t expect me to take it up the ass.”

“I can and I do.”

“Then we’re not doing anything at all.” Naruto folded his arms over his chest. Where did Sasuke get the gall to decide if something was going up Naruto’s ass? He may have bought him, but that didn’t mean Naruto was going to bend over at his will!

They held each other’s heated stares for several minutes in complete silence. Both were waiting for the other to give in, which clearly wasn’t going to happen as the seconds ticked by.

Finally, Sasuke clicked his tongue. He stood straight and Naruto realized he was getting a glance of Sasuke Uchiha, CEO. “Naruto,” he said in his deep, commanding voice. It was husky from his prior drinking and forced a shiver to race down Naruto’s vertebrae. “Allow me to elaborate on something. I singlehandedly run the only surviving company in technology of this era. While that might not mean much to someone from your time, it means everything now. In short, I get what I want no matter what it takes.” Sasuke advanced a step and Naruto had to disregard the urge to duck for cover behind the car with a crowbar. “Since I have more experience, I should be the one who tops.”

Naruto almost blurted out his doubt of Sasuke’s experience since he had a particular problem in that department, but he decided against it. No one deserved that. Not to mention that he wouldn’t get anywhere with cruel words. And he couldn’t deny that Sasuke probably did have a lot more familiarity in sleeping with other men than Naruto himself could fathom. “I have the same amount of experience as you! Just…with women!”

“It’s different. There’s prepping involved, and it can hurt if it’s not done right.”

“You don’t trust me not to hurt you?”

Sasuke sighed softly. “I just know it will feel better if I do it the first time around.”

His lack of answer on trust did not go unnoticed by Naruto. He understood that it was tough for someone like Sasuke to conjure up enough faith in a man he’d only known for two days and had no experience in doing this before, so he didn’t call him out on it. There was just one thing he needed to clear up. “But…how can you top when…”

Sasuke bristled. “There are ways to work around it. If I just get off a couple more times, I can hold back longer.”

The corners of Naruto’s lips twitched upwards at an imagined scenario of Sasuke jerking himself off in the bathroom. It wasn’t really funny, but it still made him giddy inside. The fluttering returned to his chest when he realized that he had actually made Sasuke come that first time. He wanted to do it again and again. Whoa, that was kind of a gay thought. Focus Naruto!

“Just the first time?” Naruto asked quietly, echoing Sasuke’s former words.

Sasuke didn’t say anything.

Naruto was certain that Sasuke was using some sort of corporate wizard powers to manipulate him into thinking that he would have a chance in topping next time when that wasn’t the case. He gave in anyway. “But only if I can help in your prep work. I won’t have my first time with a guy ending in five minutes.”

Sasuke narrowed his eyes in warning, but strangely his glares had no effect on Naruto at the moment. Naruto smirked as he closed the distance between them, kissing Sasuke’s frown away.

It was surprisingly easy being intimate with another man. All he had to do was touch Sasuke in ways he knew he himself would enjoy. Tracing his body with his hands seemed to please Sasuke with the way he shuddered and leaned into his touches. It was fascinating, almost hypnotic, like he was discovering the male body for the first time ever.

No further words were exchanged, and Sasuke’s vest was opened and discarded to the floor. If Sasuke was going to protest, it was lost in the rejoining of their lips. Hands roamed freely as both men took their time in unbuttoning each other’s shirts; they would constantly stop to squeeze a flexed bicep or reach beneath the hem of the shirt to feel the quivering muscles of a stomach.

Naruto stepped around Sasuke and helped him out of his shirt, tossing it onto the cart of tools behind him. He dropped his own with it and hugged Sasuke around the waist from behind. His back was hard and warm against his naked chest.

“Right there…” Sasuke instructed breathlessly while Naruto nibbled along his neck.

Naruto smiled into the heated skin. It smelled of Sasuke’s expensive cologne, spicy and tantalizing. He lavished his attention on the sweet spot just beneath the shapely jaw. He slid his hands up Sasuke’s taut stomach teasingly and stopped at his chest, feeling around for the breasts he was used to grasping. To cover up his dumb mistake, he pinched Sasuke’s nipples with calloused fingers.

Sasuke’s knees gave out beneath him and Naruto had to catch him. He chuckled and Sasuke looked at him in annoyance, gathering himself up again. Naruto kissed him on the mouth and then the cheek. Sasuke took hold of one of his hands and hastily guided it to the bulge in his pants, a clear sign of his impatience.

Naruto swallowed thickly. He’d never touched another man’s penis before, let own gotten one off (save for his and Sasuke’s brief grinding from several minutes ago). He was sure even if he gave a terrible handjob Sasuke would still come. Crap, he had to stop with these inward jokes; it wasn’t fair to the bastard and he was sure Sasuke would kill him if he said them out loud.

“What are you waiting for?” Sasuke asked. “You do know what to do, right?”

Of course Naruto knew what to do! He wasn’t an idiot. He had jerked off before during the short periods of time between girlfriends. It was just a cock; all he had to do was move his hand up and down it a few times and voila! Sasuke’s shooting his load. Easy as that.

“You aren’t nervous, are you?” The smirk was evident in his voice even if Naruto couldn’t see it. Where he found time to be so egotistical was beyond Naruto. “You were the one pushing for this.”

“Would you shut up?” Naruto ground his hand over the tent in Sasuke’s pants punishingly. The answering groan was enough to dispel any sort of cross mood Naruto was about to fall into. He knew Sasuke was just goading him; he couldn’t give in to such childish tactics.

Without a word, he opened Sasuke’s pants and pushed them down his hips along with the black briefs. The erection bobbing in their wake was a bright red from the material rubbing over it. Naruto licked his lips at the sight of it. Since when did he get excited from seeing a naked man? Or perhaps it was because it was Sasuke. The fluttering only augmented and dropped to his stomach.

He didn’t even hesitate in wrapping his hand around Sasuke’s length, stroking it loosely just to get the feel of it. He peeked at Sasuke over his shoulder to see that hooded dark eyes were watching his movements carefully. It made Naruto slightly self-conscious as he worked his fingers over the bulbous head of Sasuke’s cock. A clear substance oozed out of the slit and he pressed his thumb to it to wipe it up. Sasuke hissed and bucked his hips into Naruto’s hand.

Naruto decided he liked that reaction. In fact, he liked everything about Sasuke as he jerked him off to completion for a second time. The way Sasuke had his arms up and back to pull at Naruto’s unruly hair, giving Naruto the perfect view of his chest rising and falling erratically, or how his jaw was limp as he panted amenably. His rear pushed back against Naruto’s own encased erection every time he rolled his pelvis along with the hand, fucking it. His guard was down completely. Naruto wondered if Sasuke would be mortified if he saw himself like this as he was usually so reserved; it was a welcomed transformation in Naruto’s opinion. He was having a hard time wrapping his mind around the idea that after he was done with this Sasuke would be the one entering him.

He sized up the organ in his hand, squeezing its girth as he sped up his arm. He’d always been told that he had long fingers (something he found useful when working on cars), but he could barely press the pad of his thumb over the first knuckle on his finger without applying too much force to the point of discomfort. He wasn’t much longer than Naruto, but suddenly it was too big. Trepidation filled his mind at the imaginable pain that would accompany the decent. Sasuke said he was experienced, so Naruto had to put faith in the man that he wouldn’t hurt him. Besides, what was he, a nervous high school girl losing her virginity? He could handle a little pain in his ass, damn it.

Sasuke suddenly jerked forward, fingers that were knotted in Naruto’s hair yanked a few loose strands free. His head rested back on Naruto’s shoulder as he rode out his second orgasm with quiet gasps.

Blue eyes followed the streams of cum that shot out from the slit and hit the concrete floor. Naruto smiled as he recalled Sasuke’s speech about not worrying about making a mess. He’d only said it that morning, but it felt like ages ago with the way things were heading.

“How was that?” he asked, blowing hot air in Sasuke’s ear.

Sasuke gathered himself slowly, turning in Naruto’s arms to face him. He pulled Naruto into a kiss by the back of his neck, recreating their first one in the garage and then improving it. He never kept his head at one angle for long, making Naruto chase his lips all over the place in a flirtatious game. He pulled back several minutes later, licking his lips. “I think you’d do better with your mouth.”

The glazed look in his eyes assured Naruto that Sasuke would never say something so perverted while sober. His own face flushed despite his smile in response. “You want me to give you a blowjob?” The words were foreign on his tongue and he had to keep from giggling like a child.

“Are you offering?” Sasuke asked huskily. His fingers fiddled with the zipper on Naruto’s pants, pulling it down and then up again.

Naruto made a mental note to do this with a sober Sasuke the next time, just so he could see how differently he acted. As humoring as this flirtatious side of him was, Naruto’s stomach twisted at the concept of putting a penis in his mouth. Should he draw the line there? If he wanted to pursue a relationship with Sasuke, he’d have to do it at some point. There was no point in half-assing things at the beginning.

Sensing Naruto’s hesitance, Sasuke touched his scarred cheek in a soothing manner. “I’ll understand if you don’t want to.”

“It’s not that I don’t want to. Believe me, I want to. It’s just…”

“Too gay?” Sasuke smirked, but it was empty.

Naruto’s brows furrowed at the implication. “No.”

“Do you want me to show you how to do it?”

Sasuke probably thought he was being helpful, but it just irked Naruto. “I’ve gotten blowjobs before, bastard. I know how they work.”

“Calm down.” Sasuke pinched the bridge of his nose, agitated. “Look, are we going to argue about this for the rest of the night?”

“No,” Naruto sighed and gave the Uchiha an apologetic kiss. “I’ll try, okay?”

Sasuke opened his mouth to say something, but he decided against it. Instead he pulled on Naruto as he stepped backwards. “Let’s go up to my room.”

Naruto grinned cheekily. “I thought I wasn’t allowed in your room.”

“Congratulations, you’ve been promoted.” Sasuke led the way upstairs and through the house. His bedroom was at the right end of the hall on the second floor, opposite of the guest bedroom Naruto was staying in. He swung open the door and pulled Naruto inside, closing it behind them even though they were the only ones in the house.

Naruto took a chance to examine the room. It wasn’t at all what he’d been expecting Sasuke’s room to look like – it was slightly on the side of what Naruto considered an ‘old person’s’ bedroom to look like – but it was indeed grand. The walls were a light purple with dark wood flooring that matched the furniture. Soft looking grey carpeting covered the floor in the divided sitting area on the far left of the door, matching drapes with white vertical stripes covering the windows. The king-sized bed was settled against a protruding wall in the middle of the room, a solid dark wood headboard stretching all the way up the wall, over the ceiling, and dangled long curtains from each corner. The master bathroom was down a short hallway on the right of the bed, a walk-in closet separating it from the rest of the room. The only thing visible in the bathroom from Naruto’s vantage point was a big, round bathtub that looked big enough to fit two or three people.

“You must be ready with the way your mouth is hanging open.” Sasuke chuckled next to him.

Naruto snapped his jaw shut, unaware of his gaping. “Your room is awesome.”

Sasuke towed him to the bed, kicking off his shoes and socks before removing his pants. “I’m glad you like it. If you’re lucky you’ll be seeing it more often.”

Naruto couldn’t help but smile at Sasuke’s playful tone. He joined him in undressing and crawled on the massive bed. He practically sank in the goose feather duvet everywhere he moved.

On all fours, he leaned over Sasuke’s naked body with a careless sway. Sasuke reached up to pull him into a kiss, which he was all too happy to deliver, mouths open and noisy. He could never express enough just how much he enjoyed this frisky side of Sasuke, or the feel of his hands on his body…those hands that were currently massaging his hips and waist. They reached lower each time they traced down his body, getting closer to what Naruto suspected was Sasuke’s true goal.

Naruto pressed harder into the kiss as soon as Sasuke grabbed a handful of each ass cheek. He growled into the other’s mouth, biting back his laughter at the way Sasuke was clutching and kneading his flesh. He sat up on his knees so that he could look down at Sasuke. The other man had no reservations about continuing to play with his rear. “Enjoying yourself?” he chuckled.

Sasuke’s eyes rose to meet him. “I told you that you had nothing to be ashamed about.” He spread the cheeks as if to emphasize his point.

Naruto barked out a laugh as he remembered their conversation that happened just yesterday, but felt like years ago. It faded, though, when Sasuke suddenly sat up and yanked him forward by his ass. The heat that surrounded his erection made his teeth clench and he slammed his hands to the headboard for support. “Shit, Sasuke…”

Curious black eyes peered up at him through equally dark bangs. They soon slid shut as he got to work. Mouth tight around the penis, he kept his tongue suctioned to the underside as he bobbed his head back and forth.

To say this was the best head Naruto had ever received in his life would be a mighty understatement. It had only just begun and he already knew he wouldn’t last long. Sasuke was somehow able to deep throat him with little effort; he could feel the head of his cock sliding down the back of Sasuke’s constricting throat and it made him want to shout, ecstatic. “Sasuke!” Said man hummed around him questioningly and Naruto cursed.

The other wasn’t stopping, sucking hard every time he pulled back and forcing more of Naruto into his mouth with each descent. His nose nuzzled the blond curls at the base tenderly, and he hummed around Naruto again as though he was perfectly satisfied with having his cock shoved down his esophagus.

“Stop, Sasuke!”

Sasuke pulled off with the hardest suction yet, a pop emitting from the departure. “What’s wrong?”

Naruto had to catch his breath for several moments before he could speak properly. “I’m…jeezus…I’m supposed to be taking care of you, remember?”

“I thought I’d help you relax a little. It’s just a blowjob.” Sasuke licked his lips sensually and lowered himself back on the bed.

Heart still pounding to the point of bursting from his ribcage due to Sasuke’s method of ‘relaxation,’ Naruto stared at the man beneath him. Sasuke was right. It was just a blowjob. He really liked Sasuke, after all. He wanted to be with him, make him feel good, to see if they could work out. He could do this. “I can do this.”

Sasuke nodded in agreement. The vote of confidence was appreciated, Naruto supposed.

He slid down Sasuke’s body, fisting his half-hard cock and pumping his arm briskly. He smirked challengingly at Sasuke while the other rose to attention. It’s going to be fine, he assured himself as he lowered his mouth to the pale erection.

How anyone gave head was officially beyond him. It was like sticking a fleshy, salty rod into his mouth. He couldn’t figure out how to get more than a few inches in his mouth, and he had to keep his jaw loose to prevent his teeth from hurting Sasuke. His saliva was running down the shaft and on the corners of his mouth. How did Sasuke and his past girlfriends make it feel so good while seemingly enjoying it themselves?

“Tighten your lips…” Sasuke ordered quietly. He took fistfuls of blond hair to guide the movements of his head. “Don’t be afraid to use your tongue and teeth, but don’t bite down.”

Naruto tried to follow Sasuke’s vague commands. He sealed his lips around the pulsing flesh, having to breathe through his nose in short pants. He wasn’t sure what Sasuke meant by his teeth, so he focused on moving his tongue around his full mouth. He ran it over the sides of the length, getting used to the texture and slight ridges that veins created.

Sasuke pulled him up by his hair till just the head of his penis was in Naruto’s mouth, his lips dragging along the length and causing them to tingle. “Now use your tongue.”

Naruto frowned but did as he was told. He swiped his tongue over the slit, lapping up the bitter substance leaking from it. Sasuke hissed and tightened his fists in Naruto’s hair, so he assumed he liked it. Doing it again, he received a sharp tug.

“Moron.” Sasuke griped.

He laughed through his nostrils, tilting his head in a way that made his front teeth scrape over the tip in his mouth.

“Yes, like that.” Sasuke rasped hurriedly, breathless. “Now suck on it.”

Finding a steady rhythm to move his head in, Naruto took in a little more each time. Relaxing his jaw, he was able to slide Sasuke in, over his tongue and to the back of his throat. It was kind of like scarfing down a slice of pizza, and at the thought he swallowed around Sasuke subconsciously.

Sasuke emitted a deep moan, lifting his hips and inadvertently forcing himself further inside Naruto’s mouth.

Naruto gagged a little, but quickly got it under control and went back to work, applying everything Sasuke had told him and done to him in the practice.

It was like a slow realization, one step at a time. Sasuke would sigh when Naruto swirled his tongue around the smooth, leaking head. He would gasp when Naruto tongued the slit. His hands would push at Naruto’s head urgently when Naruto glided his teeth over the shaft lightly in contradiction to the soothing of his tongue underneath. And finally, he would cry out every time Naruto forced his jaw slack to take him in all the way and swallow.

“Ffffuck yes…” Sasuke murmured, his hips shaking with the strain of keeping them immobilized on the bed. “Naruto…I’m close…going to come…”

Naruto retreated instantly, grateful for the warning. His jaw was sore and he massaged it with one hand while using the other to bring Sasuke over the edge. He smiled shyly at the man as Sasuke jerked, face flushed and eyes screwed shut, with each stream of cum that left him. There was less this time, and the whole process had taken much longer than the last two. If they kept this up, and Sasuke got hard again soon, then he should last through an entire round of sex, Naruto calculated. Oddly, the notion of allowing Sasuke to enter him didn’t bring on an ounce of anxiety this time. He could proudly say that he was excited to take the next step with Sasuke (should he even be proud of something like that?).

He’d always been one to move fast in relationships, never wanting to be friend-zoned or put on hold by a girl who was having second thoughts. When he liked someone, he wanted to test-drive the relationship right away without any time wasted. Whether he was eager to try it out with Sasuke, another man, because of the alcohol in his system would just have to wait until morning.

“I don’t know if I can get it up again.” Sasuke muttered tiredly, stretching his arms above his head and arching his back. His chest and stomach were covered in his seed, and he reached over to the nightstand to clean himself with a tissue.

“Does that mean I get to top, then?” Naruto snickered at the glare he received.

“Give me a minute.”

The thought of waiting around reminded Naruto of the aching erection bobbing between his legs. What he wouldn’t give for another few minutes of Sasuke’s mouth on him. He collapsed on top of Sasuke, making sure that his arousal was evident with the way it poked Sasuke’s pelvis. “I bet I can get you hard in less than a minute.”

Sasuke raised an eyebrow at that. He rubbed his hands over Naruto’s shoulders and biceps, his gaze roaming over the tan chest and collar bone. “I have a feeling you could, but please don’t.”

“Y’know,” Naruto halfheartedly grinded against Sasuke’s hip. “I’ve been servicing you this whole time.” Sasuke frowned, but he ignored it because he wasn’t finished. “I’m dying to see what you’re going to do to me. After all, you’re the great Sasuke Uchiha, CEO of Uchiha Tech. You wouldn’t leave me hanging, right?”

A growl rumbled deep within Sasuke’s chest and before Naruto knew what was happening he was on his back with his arms pinned to the mattress, Sasuke kissing him soundly. Teeth clashed and lips pulled at one another in an animalistic fury. One would almost think Naruto was unwilling from the way they were struggling against each other if it weren’t for tan legs wrapping around Sasuke’s narrow waist.

Sasuke left his lips and Naruto cried out in surprise when teeth began to gnaw at his still sore jaw and neck. He wanted to curl in on himself to protect the tender areas of his body from the relentless mouth, but Sasuke was having none of that. He was merciless as he covered every inch of Naruto’s skin. Sasuke didn’t even give him any warning before teasing his nipples with his tongue.

“Oh…” Naruto gasped out. There wasn’t a word in his vocabulary to describe Sasuke’s tongue. It pushed on the buds until they were completely flat, and then circled them with the hard, wet muscle when they were pert. He’d never thought his nipples were so sensitive, but his lips parted involuntarily around a sharp intake of air with every suck, bite, tug, lick.

Sasuke didn’t stop there. As if on some quest to discover and devour every last one of Naruto’s sensitive spots, he made his way down the muscular body. He only paused to give Naruto’s weeping erection and swift lick that did little to alleviate the throbbing need. Once he was done worshipping Naruto’s front with his mouth, grasping his ankles in an unbreakable hold, he flipped the younger man over and started up the back of his legs. He paid particular attention to the flexing calves, pressing into them with his fingers while burrowing his nose in the barely noticeable blond hairs.

Teeth left red marks in their wake as the torture started all over again. Sasuke sealed his lips to meaty cheeks, making sure to create large welts on both side and giving Naruto’s ass the appearance of oversized eyes with oval pupils. He couldn’t keep his hands off them it seemed, moving them in circles and squeezing them along with some imaginary cadence.

“I think this is one of my favorite body parts of yours.” Sasuke muttered, gliding his lips up Naruto’s spine.

Naruto shivered through his words. “You like my butt?”

“It’s a very nice butt.”

“Thanks.” Naruto smiled around an unintentional moan caused by Sasuke biting the skin between his shoulder blades. He whipped his head around to look at the raven-haired man, but he was met with a kiss instead. He fell back to the mattress and Sasuke chuckled at the embarrassed reaction.

By the time Sasuke was through with covering every inch of skin with sucks and bites, Naruto was a flushed, quivering heap in the middle of the bed. His toes had yet to uncurl from the sensations that left his body humming with pleasure. Sasuke moved to the edge of the bed to rummage through the nightstand drawer and Naruto sighed in contentment. He extended his legs, stretching out the muscles. Was it possible to be so utterly happy and sated with someone after knowing them for only two days? He would hug Sasuke if he wasn’t so drained from…whatever the hell that was that Sasuke just did to him (‘thorough ravishing’ sounded about right). If he wasn’t tone deaf, he’d probably attempt serenading him, too. Or maybe that was the euphoria/alcohol talking.

Something rubbed between his crack and Naruto suddenly found the strength he’d been lacking seconds ago. He pushed up on his arms and looked back at Sasuke.

“Something wrong?” Sasuke asked as though his finger covered in some cold substance pressing against Naruto’s anus wasn’t obvious.

“What are you doing?” Naruto asked cautiously.

“Do I have to spell it out? I’m going to prepare you now.”

“Prepare my ass?” Naruto squawked.

“Yes.” Sasuke blinked slowly.

Naruto exhaled deeply through his nostrils. He reminded himself that he had agreed to this because Sasuke knew what he was doing. His butt didn’t self-lubricate like a girl’s…right, so naturally he’d need some kind of substitute. Sliding his lids shut, he fell back to the bed in defeat and rested his head on folded arms. Maybe he could let his mind drift while Sasuke took care of that little detail for him. “Okay then.”

He tried to ignore the probing finger, even as it slid inside his hole. He ended up having to bury his face in the crook of his arm to hide his blush of shame. It wasn’t an entirely awful feeling, but it was an annoying discomfort. Nevertheless, he refused to complain no matter what.

“This might hurt a little.” Sasuke warned him before adding a second finger. He began scissoring them to stretch the muscles. “Good so far?”

Naruto shrugged, grimacing into his arm. It was a dull ache that only lasted when Sasuke was working the walls of his entrance. A third finger was added and he felt the need to voice his soreness. “Ow.” He clipped with a little more sarcasm than he’d intended.

Sasuke snorted at the irritated tone. “It gets better.”

Naruto rolled his eyes. That had sounded like one of those anti-bullying for gay rights advertisements from his time. “Sure, okay.”

Sasuke leaned over his back, fingers still deep within Naruto’s constricting hole. His lips traced the outer shell of Naruto’s burning ear. He smirked down at the blue eye that peered up at him. “Would you like me to show you just how much better it gets?”

Naruto watched him carefully. “Can’t we just get the prepping part over?”

Mock indignation crossed Sasuke’s features and he sat back on his heels. “What? But prepping is one of the best parts.”

A slight smile formed on Naruto’s lips. Sasuke really was a funny guy when he wasn’t trying to be a stoic bastard in the light of day. He relented and said, “Fine, show me how much better it gets.”

“That’s what I like to hear.” Sasuke slapped Naruto’s left ass cheek playfully.

Naruto turned his face back into the crook of his arm while Sasuke probed him carefully. It felt as though he were searching for something inside of him from the way he was stroking and roaming his-

“Oh shit!”

Naruto wasn’t dumb. He’d heard about the prostate before and had even made several jokes about prostate exams in the past, but he never knew that they could bring on such intense sensations. As Sasuke continued to apply pressure to the bundle of nerves with skilled fingers, something akin to small bolts of electricity tickled the head of Naruto’s penis. His eyes rolled back and his mouth fell open. He could tell he was staining Sasuke’s duvet with his pre-cum, not to mention he didn’t think he could get any harder without popping a blood vessel!

He hadn’t even realized he’d been writhing all over the bed until Sasuke sat on his legs to force him still. He wanted to kick him off, the need to move so dire in the current situation that he was practically tearing at the bedding with his hands.

The massaging stopped, and just in time, too, because Naruto was sure he was about to come harder than he ever had before. He was panting into the bed, dizzy from the lack of air supply to his brain, when Sasuke leaned over him to kiss the back of his shoulder affectionately.

“I told you it got better.” Sasuke trailed the kisses up to Naruto’s temple.

Naruto hummed in answer, still drunk off Sasuke’s attentions. He hadn’t lied when he said he was more experienced with this; Naruto would have never known to massage his prostate to bring him to the edge of completion in just a couple of minutes. If he hadn’t trusted Sasuke to top before, he certainly did now. The man had proved himself more than worthy, and continued to do so with the doting way he was caressing Naruto as though he were his most precious possession.

“This is possibly the best I’ve felt in a long time…” he muttered without thinking. Not that he would take it back if he could; it was the truth. No girlfriend in the past had ever taken the time to make him feel so incredibly good, mostly because it had been expected of him to do all the work. This had to be one of the perks of being with another man.

Sasuke was quiet as he spoke. “You’re okay with everything so far?”

“Mm, more than okay.” Naruto flashed him a reassuring smile. He felt high at the moment.

“Then I’m going to continue.” Sasuke’s fingers retreated from the tight heat and he pulled on a condom that he’d had waiting by on the bed. He kept his eyes locked with Naruto as he pinched the tip and rolled on the rubber. “It might be uncomfortable at first, but it will eventually feel just as good as before.”

“You do your thing, Sasuke.” Naruto winced at how weird that sounded. Sasuke obviously thought so too by the look he gave.

A moment of silence passed but then Sasuke snorted in amusement and positioned himself behind Naruto. “Just try to relax the whole time. It will only hurt if you tense up.”

“Got it.” Naruto took in a deep breath, then let it out. He settled into his spot and simply allowed himself to feel Sasuke’s movements behind him.

The initial entrance wasn’t as bad as Naruto had been anticipating in the back of his mind. The apprehension he had experienced back in the garage seemed foolish now. Or perhaps Sasuke had just done an excellent job at stretching him so that it wouldn’t hurt. In fact, it felt good to have Sasuke entering him as he had become accustomed to having something inside him after the prepping.

Sasuke slid in no more than two inches before pulling out and entering him again. He did this a few time, getting deeper and deeper each time till his pelvis was pressed flush against Naruto’s ass cheeks. He slipped a hand up Naruto’s back and then raked his nails down it, making Naruto arch and push down even further on his cock.

“Sasuke…” Naruto bit his lip at the mewl that slipped.

Sasuke braced himself on both arms. “I usually don’t go this deep on a virgin...”

Naruto smirked and clenched tightly around Sasuke, drawing out a guttural groan from the other. “Are you going to be okay?”

“I should be fine,” Sasuke rolled his hips, a contented breath leaving him. “I won’t disappoint you.” With that, he drew back and instigated a slow rhythm, testing the waters.

Naruto couldn’t keep his mouth shut if he tried; he was essentially eating the comforter without meaning to as Sasuke fucked him. His hips were forced to rise off the bed, the angle enabling each deep penetration to brush his prostate. He began to meet each thrust in favor of the friction from rubbing the underside of his dick against the bed, forcing Sasuke to speed up his drives. “C’mon Sasuke, faster!”

Sasuke’s breathing picked up, hot breaths fanning over Naruto’s already sweltering skin. He stopped altogether, ignoring Naruto’s indignant whine of protest, and pulled out. Gathering himself and Naruto up to their knees, he positioned himself and shot his hips forward with less care than before. His hands were shaky and movements hasty, impatient.

The choked scream that Naruto released at his prostate being struck so powerfully left his throat stinging. The sound of skin slapping against skin as Sasuke thrust into him unforgivingly only intensified the eroticism.

At some point, and Naruto wasn’t sure when, the knowledge that Sasuke was inside him, striking him in an area that made him want to shout profanities, Sasuke’s name, jumbled words and sounds that had no meaning till he was hoarse, and all around making him feel good, became the undoing of him. The pleasant burning of the skin around his entrance as it stretched and swallowed Sasuke, the fullness created by Sasuke’s penis, the hands holding his hips with bruising force…Naruto became aware of all of it at once and it didn’t just push, no, it ran up behind him and tackled him, throwing him over the edge without any warning.

He couldn’t hear out of his ears as he came, but he could feel his cry of completion vibrating in his throat and chest. His hands pulled up the comforter as Sasuke fucked him through his orgasm, burying his face in the covers as he quivered and lurched beneath Sasuke’s drives.

He must have blacked out for a few seconds or had just been completely out of it, because the next thing he was aware of was Sasuke slowly, carefully, pulling out of him. The other man fell to the bed next to him, his shoulder on Naruto’s.

Naruto turned his head to watch Sasuke peel off the condom, getting up to wrap it up in a tissue and throw it away in the bathroom. When he came back around the corner, he lifted an eyebrow tiredly at Naruto.

“Are you going to stay like that all night?”

“Huh?” Naruto asked tiredly. What was he talking about? Stay like what? He was totally comfortable at the moment.

Sasuke returned to the bed, pushing Naruto onto his side and making him aware that he had still been up on his knees, ass in the air. “You came a lot.” Sasuke pointed out, unnecessarily in Naruto’s opinion.

He didn’t have the brain capacity to come up with a clever response. He groaned when Sasuke forced him to move so that they could get under the covers.

“Would you stop?” Sasuke grumbled when Naruto just collapsed on the unturned sheet once the duvet was folded down to the foot of the bed.

Naruto rolled his eyes and allowed Sasuke to pull down the sheet and set up the pillows for him. He settled into his spot next to Sasuke, yawning while the man to turn the lights off with a tablet he produced from seemingly nowhere. In the darkness, however, he was suddenly very awake; very aware that he was in bed next to Sasuke, the man who was just his benefactor when he woke up that morning. His nerves were screaming in delight, like his body was grateful for everything Sasuke had worked it up to tonight, and for delivering such a massive final blow that left his mind numb.

“Do you find me attractive?” He didn’t know where that question had come from, but he still waited for Sasuke to answer him. He couldn’t see him in the darkness, but he heard his head turn on the pillows next to his.

“Are you still drunk?” Sasuke asked tiredly.

“I don’t think so.” Naruto answered honestly.

Sasuke snorted. “Great, so you’re just delirious.”

“Yeah, probably.” He flipped over onto his stomach, reaching underneath him to adjust his penis more comfortably. It was weird to think of just how hard he had been minutes ago (and for so long, too). He couldn’t imagine a time before now when he’d felt so carefree, so blissful. “Would you be offended if I said that I’m surprised at how amazing you are in bed considering you come too early?” He could just feel Sasuke’s glare on him.

“I’ve done this many times before, idiot.”

“How have you gotten to that point in the past?”

“What, to the sex?” Sasuke shifted under the sheet.

Naruto nodded, and figuring Sasuke couldn’t see it, he mumbled in confirmation. His eyes adjusted to the darkness and he could see Sasuke frowning up at the ceiling. “So serious.” He teased, scrunching up his face. Sasuke covered his face with his hand, pushing his head back on the pillow. “Really, tell me!” He laughed.

Sasuke sighed in irritation. “Cock rings.”

Naruto pushed himself up on his elbows, looking down at Sasuke’s face. “Really?”

“Yes, really.”

“Why don’t you do that all the time, then? Clearly it’s worked out in the past.”

“It becomes unfulfilling after a while.” Sasuke stated bluntly. “At first I was wearing it in hopes that my…body would learn to be more tolerant to direct stimulation. But when I didn’t have it on, I wouldn’t last. So then its sole purpose was to get through the sex, but I could never come with my partner. And after they had finished, they weren’t really worried about getting me off.”

“Well they’re a bunch of assholes.” A thought occurred to Naruto and he snickered. “Literally.”

Sasuke obviously didn’t think it was funny. “No one’s ever done what you’ve done tonight, Naruto.”

“Huh?”

“You…helping me get up to the point that I could last on my own without a ring.”

Naruto didn’t waste a second, throwing himself at Sasuke and mashing their lips together. As if he had been expecting it, Sasuke hugged him close and rolled them over on the bed, getting the sheet tangled around them.

And that was how Naruto found himself in the morning. He grunted as he untwisted the sheet from his left leg so he could sit up on the bed. He glanced up to see Sasuke coming from the walk-in closet, dressed in dark grey slacks and a blue button down shirt. He was in the middle of tying a tie, and it took a few seconds for his brain that was still waking up to register just what was going on. The bastard was going to work! After everything that happened last night, Sasuke was just going to compose himself and head into the office, like he hadn’t had Naruto on his knees in front of him last night, buried balls deep into his ass. And here Naruto had thought they could sleep in together and have breakfast.

“Were you just going to leave without telling me?” he asked, his tone accusing.

Sasuke’s favorite eyebrow rose at the allegation. “I was going to wake you up before I left.”

“You suck.” Naruto pouted flippantly. “Come here.”

Sasuke placed one knee on the bed and Naruto met him the rest of the way. Their arms wrapped around each other automatically as they kissed deeply.

Naruto pulled away first. “Guess what?” he whispered. “I’m not regretting last night.”

The smirk on Sasuke’s face made the fluttering in Naruto’s chest return tenfold. “Me neither.”

“Yeah? Feeling good?” Naruto stroked his hands over Sasuke’s shoulders and arms.

“Mm. You don’t have to work today if you don’t feel like it.” Sasuke left the bed, heading past the closet to the bathroom.

“What else am I going to do with my time?”

“I’m sure there’s something else you can entertain yourself with.” Sasuke called back. He reappeared a couple of minutes later, completely dressed and preened. “My driver’s here. I’ll come home for lunch today. Depending on how things go, I might be able to take a half-day.”

Naruto smiled. Sasuke was willing to take time off of work to spend time with him. If that didn’t put someone in a good mood then Naruto didn’t know what did. Before Sasuke could leave the room, Naruto was out of the bed, kissing him fervently against the wall. He had gotten a chance to start his life over again, and he couldn’t think of a better way to do it than with this man. There was nothing and no one that could ruin this for him, he decided.


	3. Part Three

He couldn’t remember a time when he was at such a level of happiness that he felt light on his feet. His mind was incapable of supplying him with memories of times where he was so carefree, and even though he’d only resided within the year 2064 for almost a full week, he was easily wrapping himself up in the moment and slowly drifting further and further away from the past like so. That should bother him, but it didn’t. He couldn’t dwell on his old life anymore; there was only the road ahead stretching out before him and he was ready to charge forward.

Inhaling deeply and basking in the smell of fresh rubber tires and oil, Naruto removed the lug nuts from the left rear wheel with a revolutionized version of a star wrench while mouthing the lyrics to Green Day’s song _Blood, Sex and Booze_. The music blasting from the speakers of the small dock surrounded him, reverberating off the walls and high ceiling of the garage to give a stadium effect.

Thanks to the recent intimate turn in their relationship (“intimate relationship” just about covered it since neither of them made any formal claims about dating, and he was sure as hell he wasn’t going to hear one from Sasuke any time soon), Sasuke had allowed Naruto free reign to the car upon his approval. Naruto was sure that even if he requested to change out the stainless steel muffler for an aluminized muffler, Sasuke wouldn’t know the difference and give him the go ahead – of course, Naruto would never switch out stainless steel for aluminized as the stainless steel mufflers were smoother and allowed for better air flow.

Shaking his head at the ludicrous thought, he pulled off the tire with no problem after a hard smack to loosen it, and rolled it over to where he had set the lug nuts so that everything was out of his work space. After opening the sliding caliper, he set to replacing the brake pads.

Green Day faded to an end on his MP3 player and one of Ludo’s songs initiated with a bang of drums and heavy strums of the guitar. Humming was never good enough for him so he began to belt out the lyrics with the song, switching between pretending to play the air guitar and drums with the star wrench.

He just barely caught the sound of the door to the garage slamming shut and glanced up at Sasuke as the man descended the stairs. He wasn’t the least bit embarrassed to be caught singing off-key, and he even stretched his arms in front of him to point at Sasuke as the chorus began.

“I think I’m entitled to your body, gotta little problem with personal space!” Sasuke paused at the front of the car, a beer in each hand. His lips pressed together in a tight smile that only encouraged Naruto to continue. He stood and began swaying his hips to the beat, which roused a snort from the usually composed man. “And I’ve been poundin’ the jaeger, my breath and behavior have been driving the patrons away.”

Naruto lowered his arms and took the beer bottle offered to him, flashing Sasuke what he hoped was a charming smile. He quickly moved to turn down the music.

“Your taste in music is rather…” Sasuke trailed off in search of the proper word.

“Perfect?” Naruto supplied. “Spectacular? Mind-blowing?”

“Mind-blowing is one way of putting it nicely, I suppose.” Sasuke took a sip of his beer, his eyes roving over the car where the rear tire was removed. He swallowed and frowned. “What are you doing now?”

Naruto turned to what Sasuke was looking at. “I’m replacing the brake pads. It’s a very simple procedure, and it just ensures that the car stops when it’s supposed to. Don’t wanna go sliding around and crashing into something, right?” The silence had him peering over his shoulder at Sasuke to find a pensive expression shadowing his young visage. “What’s wrong?”

Sasuke looked at him in mild surprise, as though unaware of his own expression. “Oh, nothing. Tell me what else you’re doing.”

Eager to indulge Sasuke’s curiosity about the car, Naruto began rattling off his never-ending list of things he wanted to do to the vehicle. It was as though he was a kid again, sitting on Santa’s lap at the mall and reciting his extensive Christmas list excitedly.

He was cut off midsentence by a hand trailing up his left bicep, crossing over his chest to trace slender fingers delicately over his collarbone hidden beneath his tight gray shirt. The hand only continued its journey along his body and Naruto folded his lips in between his teeth, biting them in anticipation. Clearly someone wasn’t as thrilled about the changes to the car as he was, but he wasn’t going to complain while those familiar fingers traced a spiral around his belly button outside his shirt.

He swallowed thickly and grinned. “What’s on your mind, Sasuke?”

“Honestly?” Intense graphite eyes met blue and Naruto’s pulse accelerated at an alarming rate.

He forced down a smile. “Yeah…”

Sasuke’s breath hitched slightly, as if hesitating for an instant. “You.”

The smile broke free with absolutely no resistance on Naruto’s part. God he felt so fucking special. According to Sasuke, there were 7.2 billion people in the world now, and out of all those individuals, Naruto was the one standing with this man, feeling like he was the most important being in existence. He never felt like this before, and his body was vibrating with energy begging to be released.

Sasuke had no problem helping with that.

They made their way up to Sasuke’s bedroom as though they were stumbling drunks, only stopping to make out like teenagers against the wall or nearest piece of furniture. By the time they reached the bed, they were completely naked and wrapped in each other’s limbs as they rolled around on the covers.

Naruto’s teeth sank into his bottom lip as Sasuke’s lips teased the flesh on his jaw and neck with light, fluttering kisses. His arms flew above his head and took purchase in the comforter, flexing his muscles - something that he knew Sasuke secretly appreciated even if he wouldn’t admit it aloud. He glanced down and successfully caught a glimpse of those glazed, dark eyes admiring his biceps.

He was so preoccupied with the teeth and tongue torturing his nipples that he hadn’t noticed the hand snaking between their bodies, catching him off guard by a sudden squeeze and pull to his erection. “Shi- right…need me to get you ready?” Even while asking the question, he began to sit up to switch their positions. A hand placed firmly on his chest stopped him. “What’s up?”

“I,” Sasuke cleared his throat. “I took the liberty of getting myself ready throughout the day.”

Naruto’s eyebrows rose slowly as he processed what he had heard. “You planned this?” Sasuke refused to meet his eyes. It was actually really cute, but he would never tell that to Sasuke’s face. Not if he wanted to live to see another day in this blessed future. “All right then. Take me, I’m all yours.”

“God, when you say it like that…” Sasuke didn’t finish, instead pressing insistent lips to Naruto’s. He spread Naruto’s legs wide, ignoring the grunt of annoyance from the other man. He couldn’t keep his mouth off of taut thighs, leaving opened mouth kisses all the way to the stiff penis encircled by golden curls at the base.

“Fuck, you are soo good at giving head!” Naruto grinned and bit down on a knuckle while Sasuke deep throated him. Was there a course that was given on this sort of thing? Sasuke must have aced that test, because god damn he had Naruto’s toes curling with each suck and lick. He would even take one of Naruto’s balls in his mouth, making the other man’s core temperature rise even further.

Naruto was much more pliant this time around when Sasuke slipped two fingers inside of him, easily focusing on the mouth on him instead. His fingers found themselves twining through Sasuke’s hair and marveled for about half a second on how soft is was. Like fine silk slipping through his- ack, whoa, gross, when did he become some sappy poet?

He pushed away such distracting thoughts when Sasuke sat up, leaving his anus with a distant ache while Sasuke moved to the nightstand to get a condom. He took a moment to revel in the feeling of being stretched. It was…weird. His mind couldn’t supply a better word at the moment, but it was weird and…hot. He clenched around nothing. Hot as in the temperature sense. Was it supposed to feel so warm down there? He asked Sasuke, who in return gave him an odd look.

“I’ve heard guys describe it as a burning sensation.”

“But it’s not burning, it’s-” Naruto inhaled sharply at the sudden thrust, Sasuke holding his thighs up while he slid in. “Excuse you, bastard! Mind waiting till I’m done talking before you fuck me?”

Sasuke took a few seconds to answer, catching his breath in short pants. “We can do both…” He muttered and leaned forward to kiss Naruto’s frowning lips. He drew his hips back only a little before thrusting back in, his grip on Naruto’s thighs tightening. “You were saying?” He kissed Naruto again before he could answer.

Naruto growled into the kiss, making sure to bite Sasuke’s lip to convey to the bastard that it was not okay to start sex when he wasn’t ready. Nonetheless, he wasn’t going to stop Sasuke now; he’d wait until they were done to punch him in his pretty face. For now, the feeling of Sasuke moving in and out of him - somehow familiar despite having only done it once before - was too good to ignore.

Using Sasuke’s shoulders for leverage, Naruto met each and every deep thrust, eagerly controlling the speed to his liking. As Sasuke pushed in, Naruto raised his hips to press into Sasuke, and when he pulled out Naruto clenched his anus to make it difficult for Sasuke to leave him. It left Sasuke breathless, gasping fervently against the scarred cheek and setting Naruto on fire. This felt so right; this era, this man on top of him, this moment…Naruto never wanted it to end.

Despite his best efforts, Sasuke did not last till the very end. The thrusts were starting to match up when Sasuke’s hips suddenly faltered and he pressed in deep, shuddering and growling in frustration. Seconds ticked by, then a whispered curse fell from his lips as he pulled out carefully, but abruptly.

Sasuke wasted no time filling his mouth with Naruto’s cock, breathing through his nose sharply as he took in as much as he could. Fast, wet slurping sounds coupled with heavy panting filled the room.

Naruto barely stood a chance from how forceful Sasuke’s mouth was, shouting in his completion. When he was able to open his eyes (he hadn’t remembered screwing them shut in the first place), he flinched under Sasuke’s intense glare. Had he done something wrong? Called out an ex’s name by mistake? “What…?” 

“Give me a few minutes. I can go again.”

Naruto blinked through his bemusement and euphoria. “Sasuke, it’s okay. I’m not disappointed or anything, if that’s what you’re worked up about.”

“No, I…” Sasuke heaved a sigh. He suddenly seemed very uncomfortable, remaining in his position over Naruto only by sheer willpower. This man ran a company. “When we did it the other night…it was amazing. I’ve never had sex like that.”

Naruto was sure his grin would split his face, if Sasuke’s death glare didn’t burn a hole in it first. He couldn’t help it; Sasuke was acting like a teenager who just had their first copulation and couldn’t wait to do it again. The CEO of Uchiha Tech was adorable. “So you want to do it again. I get it, I do.” He touched a hand to Sasuke’s face, stroking his cheek with his thumb and then parted his lips with the digit. “I’m not going anywhere.”

His words didn’t give Sasuke as much relief as he’d hoped, but at least the Uchiha seemed to consider them. Sasuke inhaled deeply and nodded, leaning past the hand to kiss Naruto, who could taste himself on the other’s tongue. It was lazy and gooey, a pleasant representation of how they felt after their earlier activities.

Absolutely nothing came close to this dream-like state that Naruto found himself in every day. When would he have to wake up, he wondered. When he was done fixing the car? Or perhaps Sasuke would keep him around even after that. It was a bit much to hope for, but it wasn’t implausible. At least he didn’t think so.

Reality wasn’t so kind, even if you escaped it for fifty-two years.

\--------------------------------------------------------------------------

His ass swayed in the air as he ducked under the recently replaced hood of the Mustang, tightening anything he suspected might be loose even though he was sure he had placed the engine in right the first time, and caught any mistakes the last two times he checked.

His music was blasting again, despite all the disapproving comments Sasuke made offhandedly about it. “What if a burglar breaks in? He won’t even have to sneak up on you.” That’s what he had said, but then Naruto made a joke about the probability of a thief getting into the house and earned himself an increasingly ineffective glare. He got such heavy doses of that glare since the two weeks he’d been unfrozen.

That was such a weird thing to think about. Even now, as he leaned his forehead against his arm on the raised hood of the car, he still couldn’t wrap his brain around how he got here. Sure, he accepted that he was in the future, but he was frozen! How bizarre! Did he look weird while he was stuck in a tube? Did he make a goofy face? How’d he go to the bathroom for that matter, or did he not have to in that state? Oh god, did he wet himself in front of Neji?

These thoughts passed through his head often and he simple brushed them off. Sasuke didn’t seem to know the answers when he asked him, and Naruto didn’t know how to get in touch with those cousins from the White Eyes Freezer place or whatever it was called.

Then again, there were a lot of things Sasuke didn’t answer directly. Like this Mustang…what did he want it for? Naruto had gotten a chance last week to see the car that Sasuke drove on a regular basis, and while he wasn’t usually fond of the sleek, modern body style, he could still appreciate that it was a really nice car. And it was electric, too; gasoline cars weren’t allowed to be driven on the streets anymore.

So for Sasuke to want this Mustang fixed up to be in working order just to put it in a museum…or at least he assumed that’s what Sasuke was going to do with it. Now he wasn’t so sure.

Welp, it was nothing worth fretting over! He was given the chance to work with the car of his dreams, inside and out. He was forever grateful to that gorgeous bastard.

Smiling to himself, he returned to shaking his hips to the music. “She’s my man, and we got all the balls we need!” He sang the lyrics as he bent forward to check some cables. Satisfied with his handiwork, he backed out from under the hood so that he could close it. “She strangles for a good time, and she kills my self-control. She my man-”

“Excuse me.”

“AHH!” Naruto dropped the hood suddenly, narrowly missing smashing his fingers in the process. Staring wide eyed at the close call, he turned to look at the intruder behind him. The uncanny resemblance to Sasuke caught his attention first, and it was possibly the only reason he didn’t go into red alert at seeing a stranger in the garage with him. Then he saw the black tote bag dangling from his hand at his side. Murder weapons?

“Mind turning down the music?” The man asked, nodding his head towards the MP3 dock.

“Uh…” Naruto glanced back at the player nervously. He’d have to turn his back to this man to turn it off, which would leave him vulnerable to any attack. Then again, the man alerted him of his presence…he could have killed Naruto before then, so maybe he honestly wanted to talk. He gazed into black eyes, ascertaining that this guy was intelligent, and also that he had no ill intentions evident on his visage. Swallowing thickly, he muttered, “Yeah, sure.”

“Thank you, that’s much better.” The man said once the music had been turned off.

“Who the hell are you?” Naruto pointed an accusing finger at the stranger. There was no doubt he was an Uchiha with those dark eyes and hair. His hair was long and pulled into a low ponytail, shorter bangs framing his pale face. He appeared to have bags under his eyes, but they weren’t the least bit unattractive. Wait, did he find this man attractive? Shut up, brain! That’s not important right now! “Sasuke didn’t mention that any visitors would be stopping by today, so you have five seconds to tell me who you are before I call him!”

“I’m Itachi Uchiha, Sasuke’s brother.” He briefly smirked at Naruto’s comical expression of revelation. “And you are…?”

Morbidly embarrassed by his outburst, Naruto wiped his hands furiously on his pants and held out a hand. “I’m Naruto Uzumaki.” Itachi shook his hand, his grip firm. “Sorry for…uh…pointing. That was rude of me.”

Itachi let out a breathy laugh that had Naruto relaxing immediately. Wow, he was so much easier to talk to than Sasuke was at their first meeting. He recalled what he knew about Sasuke’s brother from their conversation at dinner. Itachi had a family (right, he was a dad, so he would already have a softer personality than Sasuke, that made sense), and usually Sasuke ate dinner with them at least once a month. However, Sasuke had mentioned he hadn’t had time to visit lately, so maybe Itachi was here because of that?

“So Sasuke finally found someone to fix this piece of vintage.” It wasn’t a question. He inclined his head towards the car in a silent request to approach it and Naruto realized he was standing in front of the car as though prepared to guard it with his life (which wasn’t far from the truth).

Stepping aside, Naruto scratched the back of his scalp self-consciously. He wasn’t sure how much he should divulge of his relationship with Sasuke or even the fact that he wasn’t from this era. “Yeah, Sasuke hired me to work on it.” There, that wasn’t completely untrue.

Itachi stepped towards the car, eyeing Naruto as he passed. “Hired, huh?”

Naruto’s face flushed at what the tone implicated. He kept his mouth shut, just in case.

“She’s a beauty, isn’t she?” Itachi asked, suddenly changing the subject. “Sasuke was so excited to get his hands on this car. It’s the only genuine model from ‘65, you know. Almost a hundred years old.”

Shaking off the insistent thoughts of how adorable Sasuke could be, Naruto beamed at Itachi’s admiration of his favorite car. “Yeah, I’ve always wanted to own this kind of car when I was a kid. It’s been a dream come true to be able to work on the last one.”

“Did you manage to get it running? Some other mechanics Sasuke brought in were ‘useless’, as he so gently put it.” Itachi gave a slight smile, setting his car keys on the hood of the car.

“Yeah, I did,” Naruto answered distractedly, staring at the keys and squirming where he stood. Don’t pester him…don’t be OCD…don’t…oh fuck it. “Um, could you be careful not to put anything on her? I’m trying not to scratch her.”

Obsidian eyes widened for just a moment before Itachi cautiously lifted the keys off the car. “Right, I forgot they like to roll the cars in untouched so the damage has more of an effect.”

“Sorry?” Naruto asked, eyebrows furrowing.

“I’m referring to the demolition derby.” Itachi said with a slight shrug, glaring down at the spot on the car where he’d laid his keys and checking for any mars.

And like a cold splash of water to his face, Naruto was awake. “Demolition…what?”

“A demolition derby. They hold them every year, and people bid on the car they think will be left standing in the end.” Itachi turned his attention to Naruto now, straightening his back and watching his reactions.

Naruto couldn’t hide his shock even if he tried. His mouth was suddenly dry, tongue too big to speak. The pit of his stomach was heavy, uncomfortable. He wanted to throw up. He wanted to yell at Itachi. Tell him he didn’t believe him. But somehow he knew…somehow…

“But…that’s what rednecks do…they…” Why was he still arguing? He didn’t want it to be true. Please no, please no, please no…

And he knew, deep down inside, that this wasn’t just about the car.

“Oh, that’s right. You’re the one from the cryogenics lab.” Itachi muttered to himself. “In your time, yes, that’s true. But these days, people with enough money take vintage cars and wreck them. I don’t personally see the thrill in it, but when someone holds a position in society like Sasuke, it’s hard to stay out. You know how it is, spending money costs less than keeping it in the bank.”

Naruto couldn’t hear Itachi beyond the pounding in his ears. He was dizzy, yet the whole room was still. He was…angry. He hadn’t felt this kind of anger since…since the first time he was cheated on by one of his exes. Everyone knew but him. All his classmates knew and laughed behind his back because he was clueless. Always being kept in the dark…always…and he was tired of it. He was done with being the dead last after that one time, but it turns out that he couldn’t escape it. He would always be the last one to know, even in the future. Why was he such a fool?

“Something tells me you didn’t know about all of this.” Itachi said, and to Naruto his tone sounded mocking in his enraged state.

Naruto glared menacingly at the older Uchiha. His hands itched to pick up a wrench and bludgeon him to death, but that wouldn’t solve anything. It was no use blowing up at the herald of bad news.

Sensing the sudden turn in Naruto’s attitude, Itachi began heading towards the stairs. He was as smart as Naruto had initially assessed. “Well, I only stopped by to drop off some tomatoes we grew in our garden back home. Tell him that his niece picked them out.” He stopped at the top of the stares and looked back down at the fuming blond. “My brother makes a lot of selfish, senseless decisions, but he never intends to harm others.”

Naruto snorted at that, keeping his red vision pinned to the floor of the garage.

“I’ll be calling him tonight to make sure he is still well and breathing. Keep that in mind.”

With that sly threat hanging in the air, he exited to the kitchen and Naruto turned to kick the tool cart, sending it rolling on its wheels to crash into the wall with a deafening thud. Wrenches, screw drivers, nuts and bolts scattered everywhere, drawers flying open to spill their contents. The damage was minimal compared to the raging emotions that were tearing and hammering at his skull to be let out. Break something he loves! No, sabotage the engine! He can’t drive it in the derby if it doesn’t work- No. He had too much pride for something so underhanded and despicable.

Seething, huffing sharply through his teeth, he set to work picking everything up and placing them back in their place neatly. He even took the time to organize them by size. He didn’t want to think, didn’t want to feel, didn’t want to know…

Sasuke kissed him the day they met, right in front of that car. They made out on the car. Sasuke finished on the car. And throughout the past week he and Sasuke flirted, touched, kissed, shared looks in front of that car.  
And Sasuke was sending it to be destroyed!

There had to be a reasonable explanation. There was always one, especially when it came to the Uchiha. Why would Sasuke have some kind of sentimental attachment to a car he couldn’t show off on the road to the public eye? He didn’t know anything about mechanics, so there was nothing to tie him down there. He was richer than god, a fucking genius – hence the name of his number one selling product. What possible reason would he have to own a hundred year old car other than to annihilate it for entertainment. For a good laugh- no, no, Sasuke hardly laughed. He wouldn’t find a demolition derby comical. He probably sat there, watching them with that insulting eyebrow raised while sipping the finest wine made from the blood, sweat, and tears of suffering men like Naruto.

Damn it, the visual was so clear and cruel in his head that he almost wanted to punch himself in the face for envisioning it. This was not helping him calm down in the least.

“Godfuckingshit!” He swiped his arms across the surface of the toolbox, yet again sending wrenches flying across the floor noisily. “Why didn’t you just tell me? Sasuke!”

Sasuke knew…that bastard fucking knew Naruto loved that car! He had spilled his guts out about the history with his girlfriends one night, told Sasuke everything about him, how much he wanted the car, loved vintage cars, even jokingly asked if he could buy the Mustang off Sasuke when he got enough money. And Sasuke, with utter sincerity and a puzzlingly somber expression that Naruto didn’t question, had kissed him and whispered to him…

“I’m sorry.”

Realization struck abruptly and brutally, leaving every nerve in Naruto’s body frayed and numb, like a canon blast had ripped him apart and he could only lay there in shock. Sasuke apologized because he knew the fate of the car, understood Naruto’s feelings, and couldn’t bring himself to be a real man and tell Naruto the truth. As much as Naruto hated to admit it, Sasuke was trying to spare him the reality of the situation and it was a sweet, however completely misguided gesture. Naruto liked honesty, depended on it, and gave everyone the benefit of the doubt with the genuine belief that if he was honest with people, then they would be honest with him in return.

Nonetheless, it was touching that Sasuke cared about him enough to lie even if Naruto didn’t appreciate it. It dulled his anger, and with steadier hands he picked up the tools off the floor and set back to sorting them one by one.

Before he knew it, hours had passed and the door to the kitchen opened to reveal Sasuke, dressed in one of those dark suits that looked so dapper on him. Usually Naruto’s first instinct was to wolf whistle at the sight of him, but at the moment it took ever last ounce of his self-control not to fling a wrench at the bastard. His earlier anger was back and bubbling up around his neck, making it hard to breathe regularly.

“Are you done for the day? I brought home dinner…” Sensing the dim atmosphere, the lack of outdated music blaring being a big give away, Sasuke swallowed and glanced between Naruto and the car. “What’s wrong? Did something happen to the car?”

“Don’t pretend you care.” Naruto snapped, balling his hands into fists at his side.

Sasuke glared down at him. “Excuse me?” he hissed, turning to descend the stairs.

“Don’t pretend you care about this car, you fucking bastard! You never cared! You just want to see it rammed into until there’s nothing left, so don’t feign concern for the car, or for me!”

Sasuke didn’t falter in approaching him, coming to a halt right in front of him with his arms crossed over his chest. “How did you find out?”

“It doesn’t matter,” Naruto didn’t back down, puffing out his chest in defiance. “You lied to me-”

“I never lied.” Sasuke clipped. “And as your employer I demand that you tell me how you found out.”

The fury that had been cut in half from prior musings was surging through Naruto’s veins once more. How dare Sasuke look at him with such accusing eyes, such a haughty stance?

“Tell. Me.”

Naruto considered withholding the information. It would serve the bastard right for keeping this from him. No…he wouldn’t stoop to that level. Begrudgingly he admitted, “Your brother came by.”

Sasuke’s eyebrows pulled together in a deep frown, but he said nothing more. What was he thinking? Naruto wanted to know…but more importantly…

“How could you?” Naruto shouted, not caring about the spittle that now peppered his chin. “You know how much this car means to me, Sasuke! Why would you want to destroy it?”

Sasuke scoffed. “Don’t think this is about you. It’s a popular pastime for people of my status, I’ve just never had a working piece of vintage to enter a derby till now.”

Oh how Naruto wanted to punch him in the face…hell, what was stopping him?

Reeling his fist back, Naruto landed the hit right on Sasuke’s left cheekbone, causing the business man to stumble back a couple of steps. He winced at the pain that shot through his knuckles, shaking his hand out to the side to loosen up the muscles. To his surprise, Sasuke took the punch quite well. He half expected the asshole to curl up on the floor like a baby and grip his face or something, but Sasuke just stared back at him, red cheek and black eyes bright. It just annoyed Naruto even more. “Is this the only reason you had me unfrozen? This was the plan from the very beginning?” He knew the answer already.

Sasuke’s eyelids fell a tad bit. “Yes.”

Naruto punched him again, this time without aim and hitting Sasuke in the jaw. “You fucking bastard!”

Sasuke glared darkly at him, but he refused to hit Naruto back, taking the punches in silence. He waited until Naruto’s breathing had settled, the adrenalin leaving his system. “You volunteered yourself for this sort of thing, I don’t know why you’re so angry.”

Fucking god damn it! The bastard sounded so damn calm, he hated it! But even worse, there it was again! Sasuke still thought he had agreed to being cryogenically frozen. Sure, he never told him otherwise, but it never seemed the time. “Volun-” He had to stop to gulp for air. “Volunteered? I did no such thing! You think I willingly let myself get put under and stuck inside a freezer for fifty-two years? No! I was tricked, Sasuke! I was told I’d be testing out new vaccines, but they lied! Essentially, I was kidnapped and then sold to you!”

Finally, an honest reaction. Sasuke’s eyes dilated, but then they quickly narrowed into a contemplative frown. For a few seconds he couldn’t meet Naruto’s eyes, sounding hesitant as he spoke. “Well…human trafficking isn’t completely uncommon in that business…I’ll have a talk with Hyuuga-”

“That’s not even the point here, Sasuke! I’ve told you everything! You know about my dreams to own a car like this, and you’re destroying one of the last ones in the world for sport!”

“What do you want me to do, Naruto?” Sasuke raised his voice, finally getting exasperated, which suited Naruto just fine.

“I want you to pull out of the fucking derby!”

“Well I can’t.” Sasuke retorted. “I’ve already placed a bid, and likewise bids have been placed on the car.”

Naruto stared at him in disbelief. There had to be some way to…well, he wasn’t sure. He didn’t know how these things worked in his own time, let alone this one. He looked at the car, flicking his gaze between it and Sasuke, the bruises forming on Sasuke’s face, back to the car, back to Sasuke’s eyes. The pale visage was passive, but those eyes revealed the emotions warring within him. He could see that Sasuke wanted to help him, but clearly his hands were tied by something beyond Naruto’s comprehension.

He cared for Sasuke, he really did, and he wasn’t going to let something out of their control bring a conclusion to their relationship (he used the term loosely), but it simply wasn’t in his nature to stand by and watch his dream slip from his grasp – right there…it was right there. How did that saying go? ‘You can’t have your cake and eat it, too?’ Well that was stupid. He wanted to have the damn cake and he would devour it if he wanted to! He was willing to fight tooth and nail for what he wanted, and that was currently two things, both there in the garage with him.

“Fine. Then I’m going to drive the car in the derby.”

“I already have a driver.” Of course that would be Sasuke’s initial reaction.

“Then fire them.”

“It’s too dangerous. I won’t let you.”

Why Sasuke’s concern made him giddy at a time like this was beyond him – he would hold off on the need to kiss him until later. He fisted the front of Sasuke’s shirt and tugged him forward so that they were a breath apart. “You’re going to fire that driver. If I drive the car, I can prevent it from getting any major damage and then I can fix it afterwards.”

Sasuke kept his eyes on Naruto’s heated blue ones. “If you win, people will expect me to put it in the next round.”

“Then turn them down. You _will_ turn them down, Sasuke.”

Sasuke glanced down at Naruto’s lips then looked back up quickly, but it was too late. Naruto saw the look and did not hesitate in taking advantage of Sasuke’s fleeting weakness, kissing him roughly.

“You want me badly, huh?” Naruto smirked into the kiss.

“I don’t want you to get hurt.” Sasuke said on a more somber note, not quite matching Naruto’s fierce pace.

Naruto stilled against him, down casting his eyes to Sasuke’s bruising cheek. He caressed Sasuke’s face and kissed the injury with utmost tenderness, feeling Sasuke’s eyelashes flutter against his own cheek. “I won’t.” he promised.

“You will,” Sasuke insisted in an urgent tone. “I’ve seen how people come out of these things, Naruto. It’s never pretty, even when they win.”

“You have to trust me.”

Sasuke’s gaze bore deep into Naruto. “I do trust you.”

Naruto’s smile was wide enough to make his eyes shut. He could tell it was always going to be hard to hold a grudge against Sasuke in the future. “Then let me drive her in the derby.”

“You’ll do it whether or not I want you to…” Sasuke sighed in defeat.

“True, but it’d be nice having your consent.”

Sasuke took hold of Naruto’s wrist and forced him to release his hold by pressing his thumb punishingly into a pressure point, proving that Sasuke could probably take care of himself in a fight – probably even trained by a professional because he could afford that kind of luxury – and was simply allowing Naruto to take his frustrations out on him. The severe grip that lingered on Naruto’s wrist served as a silent warning for Naruto to not try hitting him again unless he was ready to be met with Sasuke’s own fighting experience. “Fine. But if you get hurt…” Naruto rolled his eyes and Sasuke gave him a warning pinch to a sensitive spot on his waist. “All right, I get it. No lectures. I know you hate those.”

Naruto chuckled. “Yeah, thanks.”

“But I’m serious, Naruto.”

Swallowing thickly, Naruto nodded his understanding. When Sasuke looked at him that way, as if he was handing over his very soul to Naruto, it was simply too much and he couldn’t find any words that were good enough for the man before him.

“If you’re done in here, then let’s go eat dinner. We have a lot to discuss now.” Sasuke turned to the stairs, but Naruto stopped him before he went too far.

“Hey, sorry about yelling at you earlier. And…punching you.” Naruto grinned sheepishly.

“You’re not sorry about hitting me.” Sasuke deadpanned.

“No, I guess ‘m not…but hey! You can punch me back if want! Anywhere at all, go ahead.” Naruto spread his arms and legs, leaving himself completely open for an attack.

Sasuke rolled his eyes and continued his way up to the kitchen. “I’m not going to hit you, moron. I’ll exact my revenge some other way. You won’t know when it’ll come, so you can be at ease…for now.”

Naruto gulped. Revenge? Something told him that no one ever wanted to be on the receiving end of Sasuke’s vengeance. He had an endless list of resources to go by, and something told Naruto that Sasuke had done this sort of thing before. Best to play it safe and stay on his good side for a few days…or weeks.

“Naruto, move it.” Sasuke commanded in that deep voice that made Naruto’s loins ache. “Your dinner is going to get cold.” He didn’t have to tell him twice, Naruto racing up the stairs and colliding into Sasuke’s back as they went through the door.

Dinner consisted of udon noodles from some chic Japanese cuisine restaurant that Sasuke seemed fond of when he spoke of it. Setting two black plastic bowls with lids on the counter, he went to a drawer and asked, “Do you need a fork or can you use chopsticks?”

“Uh…” Naruto sat in front of one of the bowls and lifted the lid carefully. “I think ‘m gonna need that fork. I’ve never used chopsticks before.”

“Really?” Sasuke sounded intrigued more than condescending.

Naruto took the fork Sasuke held out to him. “Well, you know, my foster parents never got us sushi and stuff ‘cause it’s so expensive, and living on my own didn’t give me a chance to indulge in the stuff. But this smells great.”

“I think you’ll like it.” Sasuke smirked and set about his own bowl with a pair of black chopsticks. As they set about eating, Naruto scarfing down his food without choking somehow, - Sasuke had done well in guessing tempura udon for that idiot - Sasuke finished chewing and cleared his throat. “When’s the last time you’ve driven a car?”

Naruto choked on the broth, turning to Sasuke with wide eyes full of dread. Swallowing, he grinned sheepishly. “Uh, well…I got my license, but I never owned a car of my own, so…not since I was sixteen.”

Sasuke glared at him. “You want me to let you drive the derby but you’ve never driven before?”

“Hey, I’ve driven! I had to drive to get my license!” Pouting, he looked up at the ceiling. “I just haven’t driven in…76 years?” He winced at the number.

“The derby is in a month.” Sasuke announced.

“Whoa, what?” Naruto chewed on his bottom lip with worry. Was Sasuke going to call off their deal because of that? He severely hoped not, but the food in his stomach churned with anticipation as Sasuke looked on at him, contemplative.

“If I find you a track to practice on, will you be ready by then?” Sasuke finally asked.

Naruto’s face lit up in excitement. “You’d do that for me?”

“Of course.” Sasuke lifted some noodles out of the bowl, dropping them when he noticed Naruto staring at him. “What?”

“You’re amazing, bastard!” Naruto threw his arms around Sasuke’s neck. “Will you teach me how to drive, too?”

“I don’t have time for that. I’ll find you an instructor. The Mustang is an automatic, so it’ll be easy.” Sasuke tilted his head away from the annoying puckered lips that were trying to leave sloppy kisses on his cheek.

“I was kidding about the teacher, bastard. I remember how to drive an automatic. I’m very familiar with the PRNDL.” He snickered at his joke. He only laughed louder at Sasuke’s perplexed expression. “Sorry, sorry, it’s a joke from a show before your time.”

“You’re a moron.” Sasuke sighed. He pulled his Genius from his pants pocket and opened his contacts list. He didn’t have to look for long before he was selecting a name and placing the phone to his ear. It rang once before the other line picked up. “Sakura,” he said as if it was a word and not his assistant’s name. “I need you to compile a list of nearby racetracks, both public and privately owned, within an eighty mile range of Lakeview. Have it ready and email it to me in two hours.”

Naruto frowned at the abrupt command. He’d seen Sakura only once since his first encounter with her in the garage, and it had been brief due to her merely stepping into the foyer to drop off shopping bags containing clothes for Naruto upon Sasuke’s request. At least he had gotten to ask her a few questions, like how things were going for her since she was engaged. It was a pleasant conversation, very casual and warming, before she excused herself because she had to get back to the office.

What he had gathered from that little bit of time with her was that she didn’t mind at all working for Sasuke because he held her in high regard and allowed her time off when she needed it. “He only sounds like one of those harsh bosses, but it’s all just a front.” Sakura had assured him with a bizarre wink that made Naruto laugh.

“Yes, he’s sitting right next to me.” Sasuke said guardedly, drawing Naruto from his thoughts. A few seconds of silence went by before Sasuke spoke again. “I’ll tell him for you. Goodbye.” He set the phone on the counter before turning back to Naruto.

“What did Sakura say?” Naruto asked cheerily.

Sasuke sighed in irritation. “Just wanted to tell you hi.”

“You should have let me talk to her!” Naruto whined. “What’s her number? I want to text her.”

“I don’t want you distracting my employee with your mindless babbling.” Sasuke said while reaching for his phone yet again.

“I won’t be distracting her! Do you know how lonely it can get when you’re only company is a car and a business magnate that’s working half the time? I want friends!” Naruto let out a long, drawn out sigh to further express his vexation.

“Are you saying I don’t give you enough attention?” Sasuke asked in mild amusement, blatantly overlooking the point of Naruto’s complaining. Before Naruto could answer, Sasuke’s phone rang and he looked down at the screen before answering it. “Itachi,” he said coolly. “I heard you came by today.”

Naruto’s gut clenched in apprehension, though he wasn’t sure why. Itachi had kept his word about calling his brother that night, and Sasuke was indeed alive and well. Naruto hadn’t done anything wrong – wouldn’t have murdered Sasuke whether Itachi warned him against it or not – yet he still felt fear. Why though? Itachi had been easy enough to talk to, much easier that Sasuke was initially. He shouldn’t feel nervous.

“Tomatoes?” Sasuke inquired, looking at Naruto with that eyebrow of his raised above the other. “No, he didn’t tell me. We’ve been preoccupied with more pressing matters.”

Naruto looked down at his lap when a pale hand began stroking his knee tenderly. He flashed Sasuke a lopsided grin before going back to watching the hand’s ministrations.

“Well tell Hotaru I said thank you for the tomatoes. I’m sure they’re going to be delicious. Should I tell her myself?” Sasuke’s hand traveled further up Naruto’s thigh. “Is that so? What’d she do this time?” Sasuke listened for a minute before chuckling, the rich, deep sound warming Naruto to the core a lot faster than the hand on his leg. “Go easy on her. I was the same when I was her age. What? You take that back.”

Sensing that the conversation was going to go on for a while, Naruto slid off the bar chair and began cleaning up, silently gesturing to Sasuke’s food to make sure it was okay to clear away. He threw away the containers and washed his fork and their glasses while Sasuke got up and left the kitchen.

He let out a heavy breath, eyes wide as he watched a running drop of water slide down the wall of the stainless steel sink, gathering more droplets and growing larger by the second. He was going to drive in a demolition derby. When he told Sasuke that he wanted to drive the car, he had been in the moment, desperately seeking ways to make sure the car would be okay. Now he was terrified out of his mind. He didn’t know how to pull off fancy avoidance maneuvers like in movies where the hero is in a high speed chase. Not only that, he was going to be put in a confined space where all the other drivers had only one intention, and that was to ram into any other moving vehicle in the ring.

No, he couldn’t give up just because he was scared. He would leave the worrying to Sasuke and focus solely on practicing with the Mustang. He’d think up some clever drills to get ready and watch videos, do research, and really understand what he had to deal with. He would be prepared. As a Literature teacher in high school once quoted to him, if it is to be, it is up to me. 

\--------------------------------------------------------------------------

Naruto fooled around with the MP3 player, searching for the most appropriate song he could think of as he sat behind the wheel of the Mustang, engine roaring with life as the vehicle sat in park behind the starting line of the 1.8 mile track. The stretch of road looked wide and empty since he was the only one there, it was almost creepy. Sasuke had pulled some strings to find him this privately owned track that wasn’t in use and only a thirty minute drive from Sasuke’s house.

Finding the song he wanted, Naruto pressed play and the speakers of the old car began to pulse with the familiar guitar riff. Thank god Sasuke had replaced the old radio in the dash because Naruto needed his music to keep him concentrated and motivated. The drums started and Naruto revved the engine, the sound echoing loudly off the stands. Grinning manically, Naruto thrust the gear into drive just as Bon Scott’s coarse voice began to carry the lyrics, foot slamming down on the pedal and the force pushing Naruto back against the leather seat.

“Fuck YES!”

The car swerved, but he corrected the wheel quickly and straightened out, taking his foot off the accelerator to gain control back. Okay, he wasn’t doing that again. His back and neck were sore from the takeoff, and he could only imagine what Sasuke was thinking after seeing that foolish attempt at a high speed start. He could just visualize the bastard shaking his head in dismay, and the image alone made Naruto’s cheeks flare in embarrassment.

But wow, that was amazing! 270 horsepower of raging awesome! The grin plastered on his face could possibly be stuck like that permanently and he didn’t give two shits because he was finally driving his dream, and it felt even better than he’d ever imagined. Oh god, was he hard? He laughed despite the tingling of arousal in his groin.

The first turn was coming up and he eased left, staying on the outer edge of the track. After that tiny mishap, he was going to take things gently despite getting hyped up just moments ago due to Highway to Hell blasting through the speakers. The Mustang was like a girl on a first date with a new guy. She knew the ropes, had done it all before, but still needed to be warmed up almost like it was her first time. He kept a steady speed of 45 MPH until he had circled around completely.

He could see Sasuke standing in the middle row of seats, arms folded across his chest as his eyes followed the car closely. He knew Sasuke was watching, he could feel the prickling of the gaze on the back of his neck, hairs standing on end despite the sweat rolling down him from the heat inside the car. It did nothing to calm Naruto’s excitement, and on a strange impulse to show off, Naruto applied more pressure to the gas and yanked hard on the wheel, pulling off a couple of neat rotations. White smoke from the friction enveloped him and the Mustang as he came to a halt, and the smell of burning rubber wafted through the air, causing him to gag and send a silent apology to the vehicle. To escape the smell and smog, Naruto steered the car into the clear area of the track in front of him before speeding around the loop as if being chased.

50 MPH…55…60…70…soon he was pushing 85 MPH and screaming along with AC/DC’s Shoot To Thrill at the top of his lungs even though he could barely find his voice. Fuck modesty, there was no one here besides Sasuke, and the bastard wouldn’t be shocked to see him like this. Power felt good, and the power of an engine was the only kind Naruto needed. He was free, soaring over asphalt, living his dream in the moment. The only thing that could make this any better was if he was on open road, Sasuke sitting beside him in the passenger seat, and all of their belongings in the trunk because there was nothing to tie them down. No house, no company, no obligations…

His foot slowly eased off the pedal and the MPH meter in the dashboard lowered considerably. Why was Sasuke suddenly a part of his dream? Even when he was dating girls, none of them made an appearance in his expectations for the future with him and his car; he was supposed to fly solo until he met ‘the one’, so why now? Why did Sasuke stand above the others? They weren’t even dating, just messing around and reveling in each other’s company.

Nothing had changed between them, not really. It was more like a light had been shed on the situation suddenly, and Naruto was able to see everything crystal clear. And the funny part was that it wasn’t hard at all to admit to himself that he might be in love with Sasuke. It wasn’t difficult, but it was still scary. After the derby, after everything was done and over with, if Sasuke told him to leave Naruto knew he’d be devastated. It would be the worst break up he’d ever experience, and he wasn’t even dating the damn bastard. What have you gotten yourself in this time, Naruto Uzumaki?

He was going 10 MPH now, and nearing the finish line. A part of him wanted to floor it and circle the track till there was nothing of him left, just the body of Naruto, his thoughts frozen in moments passed and no longer relevant. But they’d catch up to him, snapping him in the face like a rubber band. If he crossed that line – oh god, Sasuke was there and looking at him – he would step out of the car and feel more naked than ever before.

Has there been any sign that Sasuke wouldn’t want him back in every way Naruto wanted him? Naruto tried to think hard, placing his foot on the brake and leaning his forehead against the top of the steering wheel. He was ten feet away from the finish line, ten yards from the man he was in love with, ten seconds away from spilling his guts.

What the hell was wrong with him? He’d never gotten this hung up over a girl, even ones he knew he had no chance with but still gathered the courage to ask them out anyway. How could Sasuke feel so untouchable when they’d come this far together? Damn it, they’ve sucked off each other’s cocks several times! Neither was above the other, but at the same time, Sasuke was out of reach. He had a name for himself, a company, an image, a social standing. Who was Naruto compared to that? A loser with only five dollars to his name and the ability to fix cars that no one cared about anymore. Why would Sasuke want to be with someone like him?

But Sasuke kissed him first. Sasuke wanted him first. Sasuke knew what Naruto wanted when they started this, and he handed over a very fragile, very insecure part of himself to Naruto. Naruto didn’t laugh at him. He wouldn’t just send Naruto away after something like that. There was a chance for them. It was there, like a bell, and all they needed was for one of them to ring it. Well hell, if Naruto didn’t love a challenge; he was going to ring that bell first.

Putting the car in park, he hopped out of the Mustang and ran up the steps into the stands to meet Sasuke. “My heart’s pounding like crazy!” he beamed, wiping sweat from his forehead with his gloved hand. “I’ve never been inside a car with so much horsepower! It’s amazing!”

Sasuke snorted and adjusted the aviator sunglasses higher on his nose. “You really seemed to be enjoying yourself out there.”

“Definitely, but I’m gonna need to change out the tires before the derby, because the exercises I have planned are going to wear out the ones on there now.” Naruto said, watching Sasuke pull out his phone to make a memo of what he was saying. He studied Sasuke’s sharp jawline and watched him closely as he swallowed, the Adam’s apple bobbing and throat tensing.

I love you.

“What kind do you want?” Sasuke asked, looking at him.

Naruto smiled and shrugged. When they first met, Sasuke would always ask Naruto what he needed. Now it was what Naruto wanted. “I’ll look at the numbers on the tires later, don’t worry about it right now.”  
I love you!

Sasuke pocketed the phone. “All right, then. I have to head into the office now. My driver’s waiting. Will you be okay on your own?”

“Yeah,” I love you. “I’ll be fine.”

“Do you have your phone?” Sasuke asked.

“Yes.”

“Is it charged?”

“Yes, mom.” God, I love you so much.

“Lovely attitude you’ve got there.” Sasuke retorted halfheartedly before taking out his wallet and handing him four fifty dollar bills. “Just in case you get hungry.”

Naruto took the money. “I’ll see you at lunch, right?”

Sasuke nodded curtly. “I’ll pick you up around one and we can go out to eat or if you want to take a shower first…” Behind the sunglasses, eyes as black as a beetle’s wings raked over Naruto’s body.

“Sounds good,” Naruto stepped forward and pulled Sasuke into a kiss with an arm around his shoulders. What had he been worrying about on the track? There was no doubt in his mind that Sasuke wanted him back just as much with the way the Uchiha was kissing the breath out of him. The arms hugging him tightly around the waist were just the right kind of constriction that made his earlier arousal kick back into gear. “Hey,” he breathed into Sasuke’s lips.

“Mm?” Sasuke appeared hilariously disoriented with his sunglasses askew and heavy eyelids.

“I know you have to go to work now, but I want you to know…” I love you. “I’m horny.”

Sasuke let a small smile slip for a few seconds, just long enough for Naruto to truly register it as a smile, before pulling back and readjusting his glasses. “Hold that thought. Keep it until I come pick you up.”

“Ha, okay.” Naruto chuckled. “Have a good day at work, darling dear.”

Sasuke snorted. “What are we, a married couple?”

Naruto hummed in response. “I’ve never gotten a chance to say that, ya know? It’s just nice.”

“It is…” Sasuke said, looking him up and down unabashedly before turning to leave.

Naruto’s grin widened little by little until Sasuke was out of sight. “He was totally just checking me out.”

\--------------------------------------------------------------------------

“It’s a little tight…” Naruto grumbled at the door, pulling at the seat of the jumpsuit, but the material slipped from his fingers. He writhed in his spot for a few moments before sighing and picking up the helmet and keys from the counter. He had to step back in the cramped bathroom just to open the door, flooding the dim space with the white light of the VIP room reserved for the Uchiha Tech president. “Didja hear me?”

He narrowed his eyes in suspicion at Sasuke. It was clear that the guy wasn’t paying any mind to his complaints of discomfort with the way those jet black eyes were raking over his body like it was his favorite flavor of cake, which made absolutely no sense seeing as Sasuke hated sweets. Maybe a freshly picked tomato? Or a cock, because- no, that was going too far. It wasn’t even funny anymore, merely unnerving. At least he didn’t have to ask how he looked; the tent forming in the other man’s trousers made it very clear just what Sasuke thought of the ensemble.

As if to confirm Naruto’s thoughts, Sasuke licked his lips before releasing a shuddering breath. “I have to say, seeing you wearing my family’s crest is a real turn on.”

Naruto looked down at himself, twisting his head around to get a good look. He had been aware that the red and white fan was the Uchiha Tech logo, but he didn’t know it doubled as the Uchiha family crest. That must have been a pretty big deal to have such an important signature literally everywhere; an even bigger deal for Sasuke to have it sewn to the shoulders, back, and left breast of the black leather jumpsuit that Naruto was going to wear while driving his Mustang in the derby. Territorial, horny bastard.

Nonetheless, Naruto beamed with smugness. “Glad you like it,” he said, continuing to pull at the seat of the suit.

“I like it a lot,” Sasuke muttered, circling around Naruto like a vulture. He slapped Naruto’s hand away from the material. “It hugs your body perfectly.”

“A little too- hey!” Despite weeks of remarkable sex with the man, his cheeks flushed at the sudden pinch to his ass. Smirking, he turned to Sasuke. “Hey now,” he drawled teasingly. “I have to head to the pit in a couple of minutes, ya know.”

All flirting and humor flitted from Sasuke’s visage in the blink of an eye. “You’re sure you want to do this?”

Naruto was taken aback by the sudden mood swing. He quickly sobered up. “Definitely.”

Sasuke’s throat and jaw tightened, the way it usually did when he pulled such stern expressions. “Then you better come out of this in one piece.”

“Me or the car?”

There was a pause. “Both.”

“That’s what I want to hear.” Naruto broke into a smile.

“I know, that’s why I said it.” He looked at the car keys in Naruto’s gloved hand, distracted. “Naruto, I-”

“Sasuke,” Naruto intervened quickly. He knew it was coming. It was bound to; they had been holding out for the past month with the words hanging in the air above their heads like a bright neon sign, blinking and very distracting. But not yet; he wasn’t ready yet. He had to prove himself first, to both himself and Sasuke. “After I win this thing, I have something to tell you.”

Sasuke swallowed visibly. Probably the words he was about to say. “I’ll be waiting.”

Naruto chuckled – oh god, that was so cheesy. Changing the subject as to break up any awkwardness between them, he asked, “How much did you bet on the car anyway?”

Sasuke shrugged, eyes distant. “A lot more than I meant to.”

“Oh? How much?” A dead stare was his only answer, and then it clicked. Naruto’s shoulders sagged a bit. “Oh…”

“So you better not lose.”

“I won’t. Believe it.”

An announcement for the drivers to get to their vehicles echoed through the building, startling both the men out of their thoughts.

“That’s my bat signal. See you later, Sasuke.” Naruto gave a half smile and wave before turning and jogging off to the garage the Mustang was in, completely missing the hand that reached out for him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope I can get my laptop back soon and finish this story for you guys. Thank you all for your patience!


End file.
